Why have two North American retail chains snubbed Albertas tar sands oil?”
WASHINGTON–Two trendy North American retail chains have washed their hands of Alberta’s high-carbon oil sands, as environmentalists intensify a campaign to demonize the Canadian fuel. Organic food retailer Whole Foods Markets Ltd. and home furnishings chain Bed Bath and Beyond are believed to be the first major companies to stipulate to their fuel suppliers that they don’t want gasoline refined from crude oil coming from the Alberta oil sands. Oil sands production is criticized by environmentalists because the process used to refine the oil emits significantly more carbon dioxide than the process used in production of other fuels. “We lead on issues,” Whole Foods vice-president Michael Besancon said Wednesday. “That’s what we do and it’s what’s expected of us.” Considered the world’s largest organic food retailer, Whole Foods has 289 stores in three countries, including one in Toronto, one in Oakville and four others across Canada. The company has more than a billion dollars in sales.
