Well, we’re super proud of you. But hey, the 90s called and they want their eco-conscious consumer back. Today, sustainability-minded shoppers bring their own mason jars to the market, fill them from bulk bins, and buy toothpaste only in tablet form. Or at least that’s the direction in which things could be headed. Denver’s ZERO market, set to open this summer, is the latest of a small, but growing contingent of shops offering shoppers the ability to shop for products without any packaging—meaning all your food is sold in bulk (you bring your own containers), liquids, juices, and even household cleaners are available on tap, and household necessities like toilet paper and soap don’t come wrapped in anything for your convenience (the store provides tongs, tools, and tips to prevent cross-contamination). Forward-thinking Austin has been employing this zero-waste model since 2011 with the store In.gredients, while Berlin’s newly opened Original Unverpackt has now brought the concept to Germany. In London, Unpackaged—the first zero-waste shop in the world since 2006—recently overhauled its shop to reopen this winter. MORE: Meet The Kickstarter Of The Sustainable Food Movement In all these instances, we’re talking about a complete and utter plastic- and package-free experience, making the effort, according to zero-waste pioneers, far more impactful than simply bringing your own bags and trying to shop the bulk aisles at a Wh0le Foods. “We want to create a one-stop market where anyone can go and find practically everything they need in their lives to be plastic-package free and as zero-waste as possible,” says ZERO market’s president, Lyndsey Manderson.. But Manderson and other top store execs know they need to work to get the average eco-conscientious shopper, accustomed to our culture of convenience, in the front door. That’s why many of these stores sell their own reusable or compostable packaging (in case you’ve forgotten your supply of Ball jars at home), while ZERO market has plans for a jar-sharing system, where customers pay a deposit to tap into a supply of reusable jars available at the shop. MORE: Want The Next Natural Food Trend? Get Ye To A Piggly Wiggly With its recent relaunch, Unpackaged is going a step further, working with London organic grocer Planet Organic to get the zero-waste approach in front of a larger audience. “My interest now is in creating an automated system,” says Unpackaged founder Catherine Conway, “because that’s the only way I can get it into big supermarket chains and increase the zero-waste impact among regular shoppers.” Rather than re-open her own shop, Conway has created a self-service refill system that provides a variety of grains, dried ingredients, and cleaning products inside London’s Planet Organic Muswell Hill location. But can zero-waste shopping ever totally catch on in package-dependent, plastic-everything America? Trends forecaster Suzy Badaracco of Culinary Tides, Inc. thinks so: “Zero-waste will become more popular, not just in the food industry, but across all industries,” she says. “Grocery is behind food service and retail manufacturers and so [it has] some catching up to do. But it is a Pandora’s Box; the only way to fail is to not participate.” Until that box opens up a bit, all we can do is watch and wait and lobby your local government. Or if you live in Austin, Denver, London, or Berlin, then you should invest in some Ball jars and start getting your tablet-toothpaste on. MORE: Five Reasons To Buy Organic At Walmart (And Not Hate Yourself)
