Kroger is one of the nation’s leading grocery chains, with over 2,700 stores operating under many brands, including Pay-less, Ralph’s, and City Market. But Kroger is far from a leader when it comes to dealing with the climate crisis.  In fact, the company is a laggard when compared to Aldi, Target, and Whole Foods when it comes to addressing refrigerant gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a major cause of climate change. 

That’s why Green America and our ally Environmental Investigation Agency have been pressuring Kroger to move fast to address super-polluting HFCs. And thousands of Green Americans and investors have joined us in urging the company to shift to low-polluting natural refrigerants. 

Finally, at the start of July 2024, Kroger announced that all its new stores will use CO2 refrigerants in 2025, which are much better for the planet than conventional HFC coolants.  

“Consumer and investor action definitely raised awareness at Kroger regarding planet warming refrigerants – the news Kroger announced that all new stores will use more environmentally friendly refrigerants is a significant step,” says Dan Howells, Green America’s climate campaigns director. “Still, Kroger is well behind leading grocery chains like Aldi, Target, and Whole Foods on climate-friendly refrigerants. We’re calling on Kroger to retrofit its over 2700 existing stores to use ultra-low Global Warming Potential refrigerants.”

In the coming months, Green America will be calling on its members to take action to urge Kroger, Trader Joe’s, and other major grocers to end their use of refrigerants that are a significant driver of climate change in all of their stores. 

Learn more about our Cool It campaign pressuring Kroger and other supermarkets as well.