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New Seasons Market to discontinue sales of single-use bottled water

West Coast grocer and sister banner New Leaf Community Markets plan April 22 phaseout

Russell Redman

April 6, 2021

3 Min Read
New Seasons Market-New Leaf Community Markets-stores.png
New Seasons and New Leaf plan to cease sales of still water in capacities of one liter or less and bottled in single-use plastic, fiber, aluminum or glass containers beginning on Earth Day.Good Food Holdings

To help reduce plastic and other waste, West Coast grocer New Seasons Market and its New Leaf Community Markets subsidiary plan to phase out single-use bottled water at all stores by Earth Day.

Sales of still water in capacities of one liter or less and bottled in single-use plastic, fiber, aluminum or glass containers will be discontinued by both banners starting April 22, Portland, Ore.-based New Seasons said Tuesday. With the move, the retailer will prevent more than 250,000 single-use bottles from entering the waste stream annually. 

New Seasons Market-bottled water phaseout sign.jpgNew Seasons Market noted that water bottles account for a big chunk of the nation's plastic waste. (Photo courtesy of New Seasons)

Both New Seasons and New Leaf will continue to sell larger sizes of still water in the grocery department and single-serve bottles of sparkling and flavored water, the company said. Stores also will continue to offer one refillable, single-serve bottle of still water from Pathwater, a Fremont, Calif.-based vendor selling locally sourced, purified water in specialized, refillable aluminum bottles.

A selection of reusable water bottles also will be available in the home goods aisle, the retailer added.

“Combined, beverage bottles, caps and lids make up the second most-common form of ocean litter. By committing to using reusable bottles, we can remove over a quarter million single-use plastic, aluminum and glass bottles a year,” according to Athena Petty, senior sustainability manager at New Seasons Market and New Leaf Community Markets.

Related:Natural retailer New Seasons Market sold to Good Food Holdings

“We’re starting efforts with still water in containers one liter or less because opting for reusables is an easy individual choice to help lessen our collective environmental impact," Petty explained.

Part of Good Food Holdings, New Seasons Market operates 19 stores in Oregon, Washington and Northern California, and New Leaf Community Market encompasses five stores in California’s Central Coast region.

Under their sustainability initiatives this year, both banners will continue to award Neighbor Rewards loyalty program members with 10 bonus points when shopping with reusables, New Seasons said. Members also can sign up to receive e-receipts and save paper; the retailer noted that receipt paper isn’t recyclable. 

New Leaf Community Markets-bottled water phaseout sign.jpgPathfinder refillable bottled water and larger-size still water offerings will continue to be sold at both New Seasons and New Leaf Community Markets stores. (Photo courtesy of New Leaf)

New Seasons and New Leaf, too, have set a goal to cut down operational waste at their stores by achieving a 57% landfill diversion rate. The company said both banners also aim to lower energy use by 5% per revenue dollar. In addition, store departments at New Seasons are exploring packaging improvements, such as switching to lighter-weight or reduced-footprint packaging on bulk tubs, half-pie clamshells, grab-and-go items and produce.

Related:New Seasons Market appoints CEO

Primarily serving the Portland and San Francisco Bay markets, New Seasons Market provides a mix of locally sourced and organic items, grocery favorites and chef-made meal solutions, while New Leaf Community Markets specializes in natural and organic food and groceries.

Both banners, which operate independently as certified B Corporations, were acquired in early 2020 by Good Food, a holding company with three other food retail chains: Bristol Farms and Lazy Acres Natural Market in Southern California and Metropolitan Market in Seattle. Hypermarket retailer Emart, which operates about 200 stores in South Korea, acquired Good Food Holdings in 2018 and is part of Seoul-based global retailer The Shinsegae Group.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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