Albertsons Companies’ Open Nature® Brand Expands Sustainable Portfolio with New Compostable and Bamboo Products

BOISE, Idaho, April 25, 2019 /3BL Media/ – Albertsons Companies’ Own Brands is elevating environmental stewardship and helping consumers live green with the launch of compostable and earth-friendly products in the popular Open Nature® brand.

Coinciding with the beginning of Earth Month, the unveiling of the new eco picnic wares continues a long history of responsible environmental practices and broad selections of better-for-you and sustainable Own Brands products throughout the store.

“The driving belief behind our Open Nature brand is that people want high-quality, minimally processed products that are carefully crafted using thoughtfully chosen materials you can trust,” said Geoff White, President of Own Brands. “That’s why our customers will love these new Open Nature items. They know that a product’s lasting effects extend beyond its performance and value. They care deeply about its impact on the environment."

Back to the Earth

Each new item in the expanded Open Nature brand boasts distinctive environmentally friendly attributes, giving them a unique sustainability story for shoppers to discover and appreciate. These attributes include tree-free, BPA-free, plastic-free, and made from plant-based materials.  

A fresh array of compostable items includes an “eco picnic” family of BPA-free plates, bowls, cutlery, straws, cold cups, and hot cups. Each is certified compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI®), which guarantees products are tested and verified according to scientifically based standards. All components are made of plant-based material certified compostable in industrial composting facilities.

The eco picnic items harken back to the launch of the Open Nature brand, which was celebrated with the construction of the world’s longest picnic table. Spanning the length of a football field at 305 feet, the picnic table was certified by Guinness World Records® on June 18, 2011. Sections of the table were later donated to parks throughout the United States.

“We’re especially proud of our picnic products because they not only bring us back to the roots of our brand, but they also allow people to enjoy nature without having a negative impact on it,” White said.

Other compostable additions to the Open Nature brand include garbage bags, lawn & leaf bags, and food scrap bags, with more compostable products planned for the line in coming months.

Additionally, Open Nature is introducing Bamboo Facial Tissue, Bamboo Washable Rayon Towels, and Bamboo Bath Tissue. Bamboo, which is a grass rather than a tree, is easily renewable because it grows quickly and matures in only three years. It takes up less land, uses less water than trees, and requires zero pesticides to grow. In addition, bamboo reduces soil erosion and greenhouse gases while capturing more carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere than trees or cotton.

Open Nature Bamboo Washable Rayon Towels can be rinsed and reused up to 100 times, while the Open Nature Bamboo Bath Tissue and Facial Tissue are soft, strong, and fragrance free.

Along with Open Nature’s compostable offerings, Albertsons Companies’ O Organics® line of USDA-certified organic products has recently added compostable coffee pods to its collection of coffees. The pod itself is 100% certified compostable and made from renewable, plant-based materials like corn, beets, and bamboo.

The pods are filled with O Organic’s popular coffee flavors, including Italian Roast, Breakfast Blend, and a Fair Trade Certified™ Roastery Blend, which captures the essence of a roastery experience. This unique blend is brisk and medium bodied with flavors of mild citrus and cocoa.

Shoppers can easily identify the compostable products by the circular green leaf on the label. A similar icon with the word “bamboo” is on each of the bamboo items.

A True Clean

These new offerings follow a notable milestone in private label sustainability. O Organics recently launched one of the first private label USDA-certified organic laundry detergents. Shoppers can choose from O Organics Lavender Laundry Detergent and O Organics Free + Clear. No chlorine, sulphates, phosphates, or petrochemicals are used in these products. It removes grease, dirt, and tough stains and is made for high-efficiency washers.

Shoppers also have a choice of biodegradable cleaners and homecare products in the Open Nature brand. These household cleaners are packaged in containers made of post-consumer recycled materials and include all-purpose cleaner, bathroom cleaners, cleaning wipes, dish soaps, and granite cleaner.

Learn more about our commitment to sustainable products, sourcing, and practices in the Albertsons Companies 2018 Sustainability Update.

About Albertsons Companies

Albertsons Companies is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, with both a strong local presence and national scale. We operate stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen and Carrs, as well as meal kit company Plated based in New York City. Albertsons Companies is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2018 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the company gave $262 million in food and financial support. These efforts helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities and veterans outreach.