Whole Foods
Grocery chain known for its organic offering; owned by Amazon
Whole Foods' Sustainability Rating
Poor
Sourcing & Stocking
Environmentally-mindful sourcing and stocking commitments?: Yes - clear commitments
Promotes collections that help consumers make conscious decisions?: Has a collection but doesn't promote it well
These collections include: other, fairtrade
Stocks any Commons top-rated sustainable brands? (proportion of rateable categories): Not analyzed yet
Has time-bound targets to improve its sourcing for owned-brand products?: Yes - but only partial coverage
On track for these targets?: Unknown - unclear or doesn't report progress
Certifications for owned-brands and products?: Yes
These certifications include: RSPO, Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade, MSC (for seafood), Regenerative Organic Certified, Certified Organic, other
Packaging & Plastics
Heavy reliance on virgin petro plastic?: Unsure / not found
Shares info on ecommerce packaging?:Yes - but reporting could be improved
Shares info on in-store and upstream packaging?:Yes - but reporting could be improved
Shares info on own-brand packaging?:Yes - but reporting could be improved
Petro-based plastics in packaging?: Yes - but working to reduce
Recycled plastic?: Partially Recycled
Uses environmentally-mindful materials (non-plastic) in packaging?: Yes
These materials include ones that are: recycled, recyclable, FSC-certified.
Targets for improving its packaging materials?: No / not found
Initiatives to reduce packaging volume / intensity?: Yes - vague / limited
Plastic waste reduction through partnerships?: Yes: The Recycling Partnership, Sustainable Packaging Coalition
Energy & Water Use
Information on parent company (Amazon):
Uses renewable energy in its supply chain and/or offices?: Yes - 100%
Uses renewable energy in its stores?: Yes - majority (>50%)
Targets for increasing renewable energy?: Yes - specifics shared
On track for these targets?: Yes
Energy efficiency measures?: Yes - thorough
Water conservation measures?: Yes - specifics shared
Refrigerant management strategy?: Yes - nonspecific
Efforts to lower shipping emissions (e.g. EVs)?: Yes - specifics shared
Any EPA GreenChill certified stores?: Some
Waste Reduction
Alt models to promote consumer reuse and recycling?: Recycling schemes
Packaging disposal guidance?: No / not found
Corporate waste reduction initiatives?: Other (incl general reducing landfill waste)
Corporate waste reporting?: Yes - thorough / all
Food waste reduction initiatives?: Yes - thorough
Food waste reporting?: Yes - vague / limited
Slow Consumption
Promotes overconsumption?: Unsure / not found
Marketing
Commons is still evaluating this brand's marketing emails.
Transparency & Reporting
Sustainability page on consumer site?: Yes - footer
Voluntary annual sustainability report?: Yes (brand and parent level)
Last published: 2024
Emissions Tracking
Information on parent company (Amazon):
Reports its emissions?: Yes
Breakdown in CO2e?: Yes
Last reported in: 2024
Estimated emissions footprint: 75232747 tons CO2e
Scope 1+2 emissions intensity compared to industry / competitor average: Low
Targets & Offsets
Information on parent company (Amazon):
Science-aligned emissions reduction targets?: Yes - science-aligned
Target timeframe: Long-term (10+ years)
Reports progress?: Yes - not on track
Climate neutral certification?: No
Offsets emissions?: Yes - unknown scope
Supply Chain & Labor
Information on parent company (Amazon):
Publishes supplier information for owned production?: Yes - names & locations
Publishes supplier code of conduct?: Yes
Code of conduct: prohibits child labor, prohibits forced labor, establishes grievance mechanisms, ensures the right to collective bargaining, includes environmental clauses
Code of conduct does not sufficiently: disallow unauthorized subcontracting, ensure a living wage
Code of Conduct covers all applicable suppliers (own-production and stocked-brand)?: Yes
Labor certifications in supply chain?: No
3rd-party criticisms of supply chain or labor conditions?: No
Advocacy
Information on parent company (Amazon):
Discloses all trade association memberships?: Yes
Climate-obstructive trade association memberships: 5 - Business Roundtable, US Chamber of Commerce, CalChamber, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of New York State (BCNYS)
Pro-climate advocacy memberships?: Yes - 1()
Employs state lobbyists?: Yes
Percentage of lobbyists that are fossil-fuel aligned: Med 6-12%
Donated more than $100k to any candidates or PACs from 2018-2024?: Yes
Amount donated: $1M+
How much more was given to obstructive candidates/PACs?: basically even... (technically -2%)
Whole Foods Market's progress with its sustainability and sourcing efforts is overshadowed by its parent company's significant contributions to overconsumption and climate-obstructive financing, in addition to its subpar progress on its emissions targets.
Its parent company, Amazon, is holding back government climate action through its money and influence. It has donated $3,323,842 to climate-obstructive candidates or PACs since 2018, and it's a member of five obstructive trade associations. However, it has also donated nearly the same amount of money to pro-climate candidates and PACs.
A large portion of the environmental impact of purchases made at retailers comes from upstream decisions on sourcing materials and ingredients. Retailers are responsible for these decisions for their whitelabel brands, but can also push change by highlighting sustainable options from other brands. Whole Foods Market has commitments to ban certain ingredients and stock brands that meet environmentally-mindful criteria, though it could promote these collections better. Whole Foods Market and Amazon share vague targets to improve sourcing for whitelabel products, but Commons couldn't find progress reporting.
Whole Foods Market has worked to reduce plastic use in its stores by banning plastic bags, but it doesn't share enough packaging information on its whitelabel brand products. It has initiatives to reduce waste in its corporate operations and it provides thorough reporting on its success rate. It also has initiatives to reduce food waste in its supply chain, but this reporting could be improved.
Amazon uses 100% renewable energy in its fulfillment centers, data centers, and offices, and it reports using a majority of renewable energy in its stores, including Whole Foods Market. Amazon has a limited, science-aligned — not SBTi-approved — reduction target to reach net zero by 2040, but it’s not on track to hit this target. We expect much more action from one of the world’s largest companies.
Our ratings are based on a scale from 1 (harmful) to 5 (best). How we rate →
https://assets.wholefoodsmarket.com/www/missions-values/WFM_Impact_Report_2024.pdf
https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/2024-amazon-sustainability-report.pdf#page=34&zoom=100
https://assets.wholefoodsmarket.com/www/missions-values/WFM_Impact_Report_2024.pdf https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/quality-standards
https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/2024-amazon-sustainability-report.pdf
https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/mission-in-action/environmental-stewardship/plastics-packaging
https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/2024-sustainability-executive-summary.pdf
https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/climate-solutions/carbon-free-energy#progress
https://www.epa.gov/greenchill/greenchill-certified-stores
https://www.climatefriendlysupermarkets.org/scorecard
https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/recycle-your-amazon-packaging
https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/2024-sustainability-executive-summary.pdf https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/2024-amazon-sustainability-report.pdf https://assets.wholefoodsmarket.com/www/missions-values/WFM_Impact_Report_2024.pdf
https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/mission-in-action/environmental-stewardship
https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/2024-amazon-sustainability-report.pdf https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/carbon-methodology.pdf
https://opensupplyhub.org/facilities/?sort_by=contributors_desc https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/mission-values/local-producer-loan-program https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/mission-values/sourced-for-good
https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/amazon-supply-chain-standards-english.pdf
https://ir.aboutamazon.com/corporate-governance/Political-Engagement/default.aspx
https://fminus.org/lobbyists/
https://www.fec.gov/data/browse-data/
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