Zero Waste Stores are popping up all over Europe
One business initiative that is increasing worldwide is the introduction of zero waste shopping stores or aisles. Zero waste shops have opened up in Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and many other European countries, stocking plastic free staples, freshly baked goods, fresh produce, zero waste household and beauty products, and more. You can bring your own containers or buy them at the stores and fill them from large glass or other containers.
In London, Thornton’s Budgens became one of the first supermarkets in the world to introduce completely plastic-free zones throughout the store. In 10 weeks, the store eliminated the use of plastic packaging for nearly 2,000 products including fruit, vegetables, bacon, fish, baked goods, cheese and takeout food. For example, fruit and vegetables are packaged with compostable beechwood netting made from sawmill offcuts or have no packaging at all and cheese, fish and some meats are wrapped in wax paper or compostable cellulose wrap. Thornton’s Budgens plans to have the whole store plastic free in three years, but to accomplish this the co-operation from major suppliers like Nestle, Unilever, and Coca-Cola in finding alternative packaging for their products is needed.
FEATURED IMAGE: BYO zero waste shopping in London