When Goodwill Leaders developed the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, Sustainability was front-of mind. In this new plan, Sustainability became one of three pillars, or focus areas. Included in that pillar is financial sustainability of programs and business lines, sustainability of talent & team members through retention and development, and specific goals surrounding environmental sustainability.

So far this year, we have launched some new initiatives with plans for even more over the course of the next few years. The most recent pilot to kick off was the elimination of single-use plastic shopping bags in select stores. Did you know it takes 1,000 years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill? Additionally, people in the US use an estimated 365 plastic bags per year, the equivalent to one bag per day per person. Following in the footsteps of giant retailers including IKEA, Aldi, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Costco, Goodwills across the country are making efforts to curb the use of these harmful plastics.  

Effective April 1, in alignment with Earth Month, our shoppers in Laurens and Travelers Rest are no longer provided plastic shopping bags at the check-out. Instead, shoppers can bring their own bags, or purchase a reusable bag from us. While it’s too early to tell what impact this will have on the environment, stores report positive feedback from customers and associates.

Feedback has been so positive that we will begin implementing in additional stores each quarter, with the goal to eliminate single-use plastic bags in our stores entirely by April 2025.