Home Depot Sustainability Plan Targets Plastic Elimination

Plastic packaging continues falling out of favor with major retailers that have included Amazon, which replaced plastic mailers and cushioning with paper options.

Now Home Depot reported it has taken steps to eliminate “certain harmful materials”, a euphemism for plastic packaging. The home building supplies retailer's sustainability strategy aligns with Amazon’s by switching to fiber aka paper-based options.

In a press release published this week, it notes that “as innovation around sustainable packaging evolves and recycling infrastructure expands, The Home Depot is working to meet our customers’ expectations for quality packaging that’s also good for the environment. By eliminating certain harmful materials and reducing the overall amount of packaging we use, we’re able to help reduce landfill waste and lower packaging-related greenhouse gas emissions.”

The company also notes that it is applying “science to create better packaging options.”

From 2017 through 2023, Home Depot redesigned more than 1,280 packages to reduce size and materials just as thousands of companies have done globally.

Home Depot targets EPS and PVC.

As other companies have done, the retailer identified expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film for replacement. It called out these polymers as “made from synthetic substances and can take more than a century to biodegrade.”

Related:Plastic Loses Amazon Pillow Fight

Home Depot has already eliminated a substantial amount of these materials from new packaging provided by suppliers. In 2023, the company eliminated approximately 6.0 million cubic feet of EPS (equal to approximately 67 Olympic-sized swimming pool) and more than 39 million square feet of PVC film (enough to cover more than 513 soccer fields) — from its private-brand packaging. 

It noted that these moves not only meaningfully reduce its environmental impact, “we also improved the customer experience with less packaging waste and reduced our shipping costs with right-sized packages.”

One example of the plan is a switch from EPS blocking to corrugated protection. THE HOME DEPOT

The company’s goal is for all new fiber packaging at US and Canada stores by fiscal 2027 to be compostable, recyclable, or made-from recycled content.

Examples include paper, paperboard, blister cards, corrugated materials, molded pulp, and other paper formats.

“We believe that by embedding sustainability into our business strategy, we can create long-term success for our associates, customers, communities, and shareholders,” says Candace Rodriguez, senior director of sustainability, Home Depot. “Our efforts to promote operational efficiencies, minimize waste, and drive product innovation will help us move our industry forward.”

It’s a change in tactics pivot from a couple months ago when it noted in an April press release that it was recycling EPS through a process that compresses the material into blocks so that it can be used as panels for home insulation. The retailer also recycles metal, hard plastics along with chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from reclaimed appliances from market delivery operations and reverse logistic centers.

You’ll find more news about Amazon’s plastic-to-paper moves at PlasticsToday.