Whole Foods encourages shoppers to think sustainability, ethics when holiday shopping

AUSTIN, Texas Whole Foods Market is asking shoppers across the United States to consider where their gifts come from and the impact their buying has on the environment and different communities, the company said in a release.

Whole Foods is urging shoppers to be ethical and responsible during holiday shopping trips, and is offering a plethora of fair-trade, hand made and organic items.

“From handmade Nepalese felted wool ornaments to an organic cotton peace scarf, these gifts help preserve the health of the earth’s resources and its people,” Whole Foods said.

Whole Foods said that this season it has stocked many items in the $5, $10 and $20 ranges and marked them with the “Holidays with Heart,” label, which explains select items have been designated as helping to mitigate “negative social and/or environmental impact.” Whole Foods’ “Whole Trade”-marked items have been selected because they comply with the company’s standard on work conditions and ethical business practices.

Whole Foods has committed to donating 1% of sales from “Holidays with Heart” and “Whole Trade” products to the Whole Planet Foundation. Additionally, Whole Foods has donated almost $1 million worth of food to nationwide hunger-relief cause, Feeding America.

Whole Foods operates 270 stores in the United States. For fiscal 2008 (the period ended Sept. 28), the company reported an increase in sales by 13.7% over the previous period to $8 billion.