Natural Grocers
Health good grocer with stores in the Western U.S. and Texas
Natural Grocers' Sustainability Rating
Harmful
Sourcing & Stocking
Environmentally-mindful sourcing and stocking commitments?: Yes - clear commitments
Promotes collections that help consumers make conscious decisions?: Yes - offers and promotes
These collections include: organic, vegan
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?: No
Certifications for owned-brands and products?: Yes
These certifications include: Certified Organic
Packaging & Plastics
Heavy reliance on virgin petro plastic?: No - data is conclusive
Shares info on ecommerce packaging?: N/A
Shares info on in-store and upstream packaging?: Yes - provides full details
Shares info on own-brand packaging?: Yes - but reporting could be improved
Petro-based plastics in packaging?: Yes - but working to reduce
Recycled plastic?: Unknown
Uses environmentally-mindful materials (non-plastic) in packaging?: Yes
These materials include ones that are: recyclable, biodegradable, compostable.
Targets for improving its packaging materials?: No / not found
Initiatives to reduce packaging volume / intensity?: Yes - vague / limited
Plastic waste reduction through partnerships?: No / not found:
Energy & Water Use
Uses renewable energy in its supply chain and/or offices?: No / not found -
Uses renewable energy in its stores?: No / not found
Targets for increasing renewable energy?: No / not found
On track for these targets?: N/A
Energy efficiency measures?: Yes - vague / limited
Efforts to lower shipping emissions (e.g. EVs)?: N/A - brick and mortar only
Water conservation measures?: Yes - nonspecific
Refrigerant management strategy?: No / not found
Any EPA GreenChill certified stores?: No / not found
Waste Reduction
Alt models to promote consumer reuse and recycling?: No / not found
Packaging disposal guidance?: No / not found
Corporate waste reduction initiatives?: Reusing to-store packaging
Corporate waste reporting?: No / not found
Food waste reduction initiatives?: Yes - vague / limited
Food waste reporting?: Yes - vague / limited
Slow Consumption
Promotes overconsumption?: No
Marketing
Commons is still evaluating this brand's marketing emails.
Transparency & Reporting
Sustainability page on consumer site?: Yes - header
Voluntary annual sustainability report?: Yes
Last published: 2024
Emissions Tracking
Commons couldn't find information on this brand's emissions tracking. We expect large brands with the largest emissions footprint to track and report their data publicly.
Emissions intensity compared to industry / competitor average: Emissions intensity not found
Targets & Offsets
Commons couldn't find emissions reduction targets for this brand. Larger brands have an outsized impact and responsibility to reduce their emissions.
Climate neutral certification?: No
Offsets emissions?: No / not found
Supply Chain & Labor
Publishes supplier information for owned production?: Yes - names & locations
Publishes supplier code of conduct?: No
Code of Conduct covers all applicable suppliers (own-production and stocked-brand)?: N/A
Labor certifications in supply chain?: No
3rd-party criticisms of supply chain or labor conditions?: No
Advocacy
Discloses all trade association memberships?: Nothing to disclose
Climate-obstructive trade association memberships: None -
Pro-climate advocacy memberships?: No
Employs state lobbyists?: Yes
Percentage of lobbyists that are fossil-fuel aligned: None
Donated more than $100k to any candidates or PACs from 2018-2024?: No
Natural Grocers' sustainability reporting is incomplete or nonexistent. We hope for more transparency and accountability from publicly-listed companies.
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. Natural Grocers has commitments to stock brands that meet environmentally-mindful criteria, but it does not share any targets for improving its whitelabel sourcing.
Natural Grocers does not heavily rely on virgin plastic for its own-brand or in-store packaging. It has initiatives to reduce waste in its corporate operations and reduce food waste in its supply chain, but it doesn't provide detailed reporting on either.
It falls short in reporting or action for most other areas. It doesn't provide information on any renewable energy use, sourcing improvements, supply chain and labor policies, refrigerant strategy, emissions measurements, or emissions reduction efforts.
Our ratings are based on a scale from 1 (harmful) to 5 (best). How we rate →
https://www.naturalgrocers.com/our-standards https://www.naturalgrocers.com/standards/household-cleaning-product-standards https://naturalgrocers.cld.bz/2024-Sustainability-Report/20/
https://naturalgrocers.cld.bz/2024-Sustainability-Report/20/
https://naturalgrocers.cld.bz/2024-Sustainability-Report/10/
https://naturalgrocers.cld.bz/2024-Sustainability-Report/26/
https://www.naturalgrocers.com/sustainability https://naturalgrocers.cld.bz/2024-Sustainability-Report/26/
https://naturalgrocers.cld.bz/2024-Sustainability-Report/36/
https://www.naturalgrocers.com/sustainability
https://www.epa.gov/greenchill/greenchill-certified-stores
https://www.climatefriendlysupermarkets.org/scorecard
https://fminus.org/lobbyists/
https://www.fec.gov/data/browse-data/
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