PITTSBURGH (BRAIN) — Dick's Sporting Goods announced Tuesday its commitment to eliminate single-use retail plastic bags from its stores by 2025.
Partnering with Closed Loop Partners' Center for the Circular Economy — which began an initiative this year to implement more sustainable solutions to the plastic bag — Dick's has said it has already reduced its environmental footprint with a recycling rate of 70% for its retail stores and operations.
It's estimated that the U.S. uses 100 billion plastic bags per year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and less than 10% are recycled. Single-use plastic bags are typically made from fossil fuel-derived virgin plastic and are among the top 10 items found on beaches and waterways worldwide.
As a first step to meet its goal, Dick's joined the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag as the lead sports and outdoors sector partner and will work alongside founding partners CVS Health, Target, Walmart, Kroger, and Walgreens.
"Our customers are outdoor enthusiasts who are passionate about working together to keep our planet clean and safe for future generations," said Peter Land, Dick's chief communications and sustainability officer. "Like our customers, we're committed to doing what we can to prevent waste from ending up in our oceans and natural environment, and we look forward to working on the Beyond the Bag Initiative."
The consortium recently launched the Beyond the Bag Challenge in partnership with IDEO — which is currently accepting ideas to reinvent the current retail bag that could include reusable models, new materials, or software and hardware innovations that eliminate the need for bags altogether. As the consortium's sports and outdoors sector lead partner, Dick's will direct priorities and activities for the initiative within this sector.
"We want to realize a future in which waste is a thing of the past," said Kate Daly, managing director of the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners. "Dick's commitment to creating a more sustainable world for its customers makes them a perfect partner of the Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag."
