By Nick Gilbert
Whole Foods Market, a major natural and organic grocer, has announced the offering of two greener gift cards, of which one is made of responsibly-harvested wood and the other is of paper.
These eco-friendly options will substitute Whole Foods Market’s 100% recycled plastic cards. Although accepted for a while, the recycled plastic cards will gradually be stopped over time. The new greener gift cards are made of 50% post-consumer waste. The Forest Stewardship Council has certified both the wood and paper gift cards, which are recyclable and reusable and compostable. Moreover, the two cards have a reduced carbon footprint and need less energy for production.
Chris Jensen, who serves as gift card team leader at Whole Foods Market, stated that the grocer is continuously seeking ways to decrease its environmental footprint and further its green mission efforts. Shifting from plastic gift cards is one approach to make a difference. The grocer wants to make gift presentation not only simpler but also eco-friendly.
Whole Foods Market will keep on recycling gift cards from Whole Foods Market and those of other retailers at its stores. Up until now, the grocer has recycled over 265,000 plastic gift cards, thus preventing them from ending up in landfills. Moreover, as part of its green efforts, the grocer offers e-gift cards at wholefoodsmarket.com/shop. It is possible to access the re-loadable gift cards via smart phones.
Source: http://wholefoodsmarket.com