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Wegmans shifts to eco-friendly egg cartons

All store-brand eggs now sold in paper pulp packaging

Russell Redman

September 7, 2021

2 Min Read
Wegmans brand eggs-sustainable carton.jpg
Wegmans rolled out the paper-pulp egg cartons chain wide earlier this summer after a successful pilot in April.Wegmans

Wegmans Food Markets has instituted more sustainable packaging for its store-brand eggs.

The Rochester, N.Y.-based regional grocer said last week that it has shifted Wegmans-brand egg cartons to molded fiber from polystyrene foam. The new cartons are made of 100% post-consumer recycled newsprint and paper products. With the change, the company estimates that it will eliminate 625,000 pounds of foam from its stores annually.

“We decided to make the switch to paper pulp cartons because we heard from customers that wanted a fiber, paper option,” according to Ron Indovina, dairy and frozen category merchant at Wegmans.

To find a more eco-friendly carton, Indovina worked with Wegmans’ sustainability team and egg supplier Kreher Family Farms. Wegmans in April launched paper pulp cartons at stores in Massachusetts for an eight-week pilot, and following the successful test the cartons were rolled out chainwide in early summer.

Now, all store-brand eggs come in a paper pulp carton that is recyclable, biodegradable and compostable, Wegmans reported.

“We are eliminating foam packaging wherever possible,” stated Jason Wadsworth, packaging and sustainability category merchant at Wegmans. “It’s not widely recyclable and never will be. The new cartons are a better option and are more widely recycled.”

Related:Nicole Wegman named to lead Wegmans brand

Wegmans aims to cut its use of in-store plastic packaging made from fossil fuels and other single-use plastics by 10 million pounds by 2024. To that end, the retailer is replacing some of its current plastic packaging with materials made from plant-based, renewable fiber that enable functional packaging that performs as needed. The effort is part of a broader sustainability program to use less plastic, reduce food waste, use renewable and recycled content, and increase recyclability, the company said.

Customers already have welcomed the more sustainable egg cartons, Wegmans noted. “Thank you for finally getting rid of the foam egg containers. My husband has been storing them with the hopes that someday someone will figure out how to recycle them,” a shopper said in one recent message said. “He was so ecstatic when he saw the cardboard egg containers when I brought home the groceries. We thank you for doing your part for the earth.”

Overall, Wegmans operates 106 supermarkets in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Massachusetts and North Carolina.

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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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