Plastic Bag Alternative: Supermarket Leader Roche Bros., GXT Green Celebrate 5 Millionth ECOgrade Plastic Replacement Shopping Bag

Major milestone for grocery leader’s environmental/sustainability commitment

Massachusetts-based grocery leader Roche Bros. recently distributed its 5 millionth photodegradable, plastic-alternative GXT Green ECOgrade bag, an innovative solution for retailers facing plastic bag bans or taxes. (Photo: Business Wire)

BILLERICA, Mass.--()--GXT Green Inc. this month is celebrating a major milestone: Roche Bros. supermarkets has handed a shopper the 5 millionth Roche Bros-branded GXT Green ECOgrade shopping bag.

A non-plastic alternative, ECOgrade bags are made from a patented combination of organic material and minerals and are photodegradable. This means that if the bag is littered, it will begin to degrade in 20 days and fully degrade within 240 days of exposure to sunlight, as documented by compliance with international testing leader ASTM’s D-5272 standard. ECOgrade bags are priced competitively with standard plastic and can also be recycled.

Roche Bros., which operates 20 stores in Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, began using the ECOgrade bag in 2016 as an alternative to traditional plastic bags. Roche Bros. has steadily increased use of ECOgrade bags to offer more customers a sustainable and environmentally responsible way to carry home their groceries.

“We have been pleased with the performance, price, and value of the GXT Green ECOgrade bags,’’ said Roche Bros. Supermarkets Director of Facilities and Maintenance Richard Ordway. “They’ve proven to be a key element of our commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability, and when customers even notice a difference, we hear consistently how much they like the ECOgrade bags.”

Michael C. Vanin, GXT Green Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales, said: “To reach the milestone of 5 million bags distributed to satisfied shoppers, and especially with such a respected and admired grocery leader as Roche Bros., is enormously gratifying for GXT Green. We look forward to continuing to educate merchants, shoppers, environmental regulators, and legislators about our proven, dependable, and ecologically responsible alternative to banning or taxing traditional plastic bags.”

GXT Green also makes other ECOgrade bag that are compostable or degradable in a landfill.

About Roche Bros.
Roche Bros. is a family business, employing more than 4,800 associates in its 20 Roche Bros., Sudbury Farms and Brothers Marketplace grocery stores. Headquartered in Wellesley, Mass., Roche Bros. offers the highest quality meat, seafood and produce, favorite food brands, full-service catering, and home delivery. Second generation owners Rick and Ed Roche carry on the family tradition, operating Roche Bros. with a passion for great food and great customer service. www.rochebros.com

About GXT Green Inc., “Economics Meeting Ecology”
GXT Green develops and markets sustainable products and supporting services that cost-effectively solve environmental concerns of businesses, communities, and governments and profitably align economic goals with corporate social responsibility. GXT delivers solutions that reduce the environmental impact of plastic bags and EPS foam packaging and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. www.gxtgreen.com

Contacts

GXT Green
Michael Vanin, 978 735 4367
mvanin@gxtgreen.com
or
Denterlein
Peter Howe, 617-482-0042
phowe@denterlein.com
or
LAZ PR for Roche Bros.
Lisa Lazarczyk, 781-646-0667
lisa@lazpr.com

Contacts

GXT Green
Michael Vanin, 978 735 4367
mvanin@gxtgreen.com
or
Denterlein
Peter Howe, 617-482-0042
phowe@denterlein.com
or
LAZ PR for Roche Bros.
Lisa Lazarczyk, 781-646-0667
lisa@lazpr.com