Can Zero-Waste Grocery Stores Make A Difference?

A growing trend in food shopping eliminates single-use plastic packaging. Here’s how it works—even when you forget to bring your own bag. Can Zero-Waste Grocery Stores Make A Difference?

BRIANNE MILLER was miles from shore when she realized she had to start a grocery store. As a marine biologist studying humpback whale habitats near Hawaii, she saw plastic wherever she looked: abandoned fishery nets, bottles, plastic crates.

In 2018, at age 30, she opened Nada, a zero-waste grocery store in Vancouver, B.C. It offers 750-plus products without a lick of packaging. No plastic around that cucumber. Toothpaste in glass jars. Herbs do not come pre-portioned in a plastic container. Customers take a sprig or two, exactly what they need.

Nada also has a café, which uses food from the store that would otherwise go bad. Customers are encouraged to bring cups if they’re grabbing coffee to go. If they forget, they can take one of Nada’s. Almost every borrowed mug is eventually returned. “It’s actually smart from a business perspective,” said Ms. Miller. “We don’t pay for single-use items and it encourages customers to come back to the store.”

One store won’t end plastic pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American generates more than 1,600 pounds of trash a year. But Nada is starting a conversation and a trend. There are zero-waste grocery stores in Brooklyn, Denver, London and Berlin, and dozens more specializing in beauty and household products.

In many ways, these stores are the progeny of the natural food co-ops that sprouted in the 1970s. But the women—and they are almost all women—opening zero-waste stores now understand that to succeed they have to build in convenience. There are no mandated work hours or membership fees. If you don’t have your own container you can buy or borrow one that’s been cleaned and sanitized. The Wally Shop, one of the newest startups, operates as a kind of zero-waste Instacart, offering customers same-day delivery by bike in Brooklyn and, soon, Manhattan. Founder and CEO Tamara Lim, 26, describes her company as a 21st-century milk man who delivers more than milk.

Zero-waste evangelists talk about their “journey” to a new way of living and shopping. Katerina Bogatireva, who opened Precycle in Brooklyn in December, took her first steps when she tried, and only partially succeeded, to reduce the trash she and her young son produced. “It was difficult to shop. You had to buy one thing here, one thing there,” she said. “And then there were the snacks. Try telling your 6-year-old that he can’t have a fig bar because it’s wrapped in plastic.”

Can A Zero-Waste Store Make A Difference?

Nada Grocery in Vancouver has eliminated single-use packaging and saves produce that’s reached its sell-by date from the scrap heap by cooking it up in the in-store cafe. Here’s what didn’t go into a landfill in a single month as a result:

Food Waste: 259 pounds

Plastic Containers: 21,428

Paper Cups: 1,228

And so Precycle aims to be a mostly one-stop shop. The bright, open-plan store in the hip Bushwick neighborhood sells fruits and vegetables, beans, pasta and rice, oils, vinegars, soaps, spices, eggs, even bulk tofu, which has been a surprise hit. For snacks, there are dried fruits, nuts, popcorn, granola. Only meat and fish are missing.

Like Ms. Miller, Lyndsey Manderson, who runs Zero Market in Denver, was inspired to take action after learning about pollution in oceans. She started selling zero-waste products at pop-ups in 2015 and in 2017 opened a 600-square-foot stall in a public market.

Ms. Manderson has had to navigate tricky health codes: one that prevents sale of bulk food in certain locations (which is why she hopes to move to a new space that allows her to sell more food); another that prohibits customers from bringing containers (ostensibly to prevent contamination). She also has learned that educating is essential. Zero Market offers workshops and consulting services to customers who want advice on how to change their habits and to local businesses that want to begin composting or training employees on how to correctly separate trash and recyclables.

“We have to somehow get into the minds of consumers and figure out how to change their way of thinking so it’s 100% worth it to make a change,” Ms. Manderson said. “That’s difficult. The future of the planet is so far off in all our minds and, right here and now, I forgot my bag.”

The Wally Shop, meanwhile, is working to offer convenience on parallel with Amazon Prime. (Ms. Lim, not coincidentally, started her career at the Seattle behemoth managing, among other categories, retail of packaging and shipping supplies.) Customers who order before 2 p.m. have their food delivered the same day between 6 and 8 p.m.

When the Wally Shop receives an order, it dispatches a shopper to buy products at local farmers markets and co-ops as well as at Precycle. Shoppers pay the price the store charges, plus a 5% service fee and a delivery fee. Vegetables come in cotton mesh bags, bulk grains in Mason jars. Customers also pay $1 per item for packaging but get it back when they return the container.

A test order on the site that included lentils, apples, broccoli, avocados, soba noodles, raisins and a jar of raw, local honey totaled about $50—not cheap, but neither are the Brooklyn markets where the items are purchased. When you consider the mere $5.99 delivery fee built in, and the time and money the shopper saves by having someone else do the legwork, it sounds like a bargain.

Currently, according to the EPA, only 9% of plastics are recycled; most of them end up in landfills or the ocean. To make a larger difference, food conglomerates and major retailers would need to rethink the way they sell their products. Some, such as Unilever , have begun to do that. And just this week, Trader Joe’s announced that, in response to a customer petition, it will work to eliminate more than 1 million pounds of plastics from its stores.

“Some people might say, oh, this isn’t going to make a difference,” Ms. Miller said. “But we see every single day how much of an effect this has in our community. People gravitate toward it because it’s something they can take control of.”

Brush Up / Ready To Start Your Own Zero-Waste Journey? Make Your Own Toothpaste:

Toothpaste tubes are hard to recycle. You can eliminate them from your routine with this recipe from Lauren Singer, CEO of Package Free Shop, a Brooklyn store that sells beauty and household products.

Measure out 2 tablespoons organic coconut oil into a small jar. Add 1 tablespoon baking soda and 15-20 drops essential oil, such as peppermint. Mix well.

8-8-2021

How To Buy Eco-Friendly Shaving Cream, Travel Mugs And Foam Rollers

Buying these green products won’t necessarily help save the planet, but it will help save your conscience.

Sure, buying nothing at all would be best from an emissions perspective, and shipping can vastly alter a product’s climate impact. To that, we say, as always: Your mileage may vary.

Shaving Cream

Lather up for the environment.

GOOD: Bravo Sierra Shaving Foam $9

Since the 1950s, metal cans of shaving cream have used aerosol propellants such as propane or isobutane to produce dollops of foam. Bravo Sierra’s shaving cream, however, uses Solstice — a non-flammable propellant based on hydrofluoroolefins, which are less environmentally-damaging than more common hydrofluorocarbons — for its spray mechanism.

BETTER: Marie Veronique Mildly Foaming Shaving Oil $23

Known for its natural serums and tonics, Marie Veronique developed a men’s shaving line three years ago that’s equally plant-based and high-end. Non-toxic acids, oils, and surfactants protect skin from folliculitis (better known as razor burn) and prevent chemicals from rinsing down the drain.

BEST: Kilted Bar Shaving Bar Soap $7

When it comes to soap — of any kind — a bar is always more sustainable. Kilted Suds makes its beard soap with bentonite clay and aloe vera, and uses olive, sunflower, safflower, and coconut oils instead of palm oil, which is linked to mass deforestation. The bar ships in biodegradable paper packaging and is meant to be lathered up with an old-school brush.
Travel Mugs

Reusing is just the first step.

GOOD: Huskee 16 oz Cup & Lid Combo $22

Huskee collects coffee bean husks — usually discarded as waste during the harvesting and drying process — and blends them with polypropylene plastic to make its ridged travel mugs. The neutral color options (just beige and charcoal) are strategic: avoiding unnatural dyes will make it easier to recycle damaged mugs through its HuskeeLoop program.

BETTER: Ecoffee Cup 16 oz. $18

To keep paper cups out of landfills, Ecoffee developed a unique polymer made from natural bamboo fiber, cornstarch, and resin, and then designed it to look just like a to-go cup. The lid and sleeve are silicone, and shipping materials are reused or recycled.

BEST: Ekobo Takeaway Mug 16 oz. $18

Many a travel mug is made with virgin stainless steel, which requires resource-intensive open-pit nickel mining. Ekobo crafts its mugs from a FSC-certified bamboo sawdust fiber made from waste collected at chopstick factories. A plant-based melamine binder holds it all together.
Foam Rollers

Low-environmental-impact physical therapy.

GOOD: Casall PRF Eco Bamboo Tube Roll $59

Standard-issue body rollers are made from one of a handful of petrochemical-derived foams. Of those, ethylene-vinyl acetate foam is known to retain its shape and last the longest, meaning less waste. Casall’s roller combines an EVA foam center with a protective tube made from recycled plastic, bamboo, and corn husks.

BETTER: Om Roller from $100

Instead of plastic foam, Om Roller wraps a thick layer of natural latex foam — sourced from renewable rubber trees — around a hollow tube of mango wood. Removable organic wool and cotton covers come in a variety of naturally-dyed colors and patterns.

BEST: Mobeco Cork Massage Roller $41

For myofascial release, cork works as well as foam. It’s also harvested from cork oak tree bark without any deforestation. Aussie company Mobeco uses compostable mailers and packing materials to ship its cork rollers, and will take customers’ old yoga equipment to help facilitate recycling.

Updated: 8-18-2022

‘Zero-Waste’ Stores Are Helping Consumers Cut Back On Plastic 

Across the US, a growing number of new retailers are selling mostly in bulk to customers toting reusable containers.

Amber Haukedahl’s journey to zero-waste shopping started with a toothbrush.

Four years ago, the conservation biologist from Minneapolis decided to cut down on her plastic consumption, investing in household alternatives like mesh produce bags, unpaper towels and bamboo cutlery.

But when Haukedahl turned to buying a bamboo toothbrush, the only options she could find were on Amazon — an e-tailer whose packaging habits she says would have “totally defeated the purpose.”

So Haukedahl, then 33, decided to become the retailer she was looking for. In 2018, she launched Tare Market, an e-commerce outfit selling products like reusable cutlery, washable face rounds, and compostable dental floss in plastic-free packaging — and shipping them in upcycled boxes and compostable packing.

A year later, Tare opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Minneapolis’ leafy lakeside Nokomis neighborhood, following a successful online crowdfunding campaign.

As the leader of workshops about how to live a zero-waste life, Haukedahl already knew plenty of potential customers. “People [are] like, ‘I really want to live this way, but I don’t have time to research all the best environmentally friendly products,’” she says.

Tare, which opened its second Minneapolis location in April, is one of a growing cohort of “zero-waste stores,” retailers that sell mostly in bulk or using compostable packaging, to customers toting reusable containers. Since 2015, hundreds of zero-waste stores have opened across the US, says Celia Ristow, who tracks the sector’s growth on her blog Litterless.

California has Fillgood in Berkeley, the Re-up Refill Shop in Oakland and Homebody Refill in Sebastopol. Seattle has Scoop Marketplace and Mimi’s Zero Waste Market.

Portland, Oregon, has Realm Refillery and Mama & Hapa’s Zero Waste Shop. New York City has The Filling Station and A Sustainable Village in Manhattan, plus Precycle in Brooklyn. Even Poland, Ohio — a town of fewer than 3,000 residents — has a zero-waste store called Sustaining Bliss.

As more Americans find themselves existentially distressed by everything from trash gyres in the ocean to microplastics in our bloodstreams, many are spurning single-use plastics and bringing retailers like Tare increasingly in vogue.

BYO Bins, Bags, and Boxes

For a shop that sells 135 bulk food items, Tare maintains a sleek and minimalist design. Instead of rows of individually packaged foodstuffs, the 1,000-square-foot store has dozens of bulk bins, where shoppers can fill their own containers — or grab a “donated” container — with everything from organic oatmeal to red lentils.

Rather than plastic jugs of laundry detergent, dish soap and hand soap, Tare offers each from a dispenser, as it does beauty products like argan oil, jojoba oil and aloe vera.

In between the bulk goods, the store’s shelves are artfully stacked with products like Marley’s Monsters flannel unpaper towels, toothpaste tablets, and, yes, bamboo toothbrushes. Packaging for all individually wrapped items is biodegradable.

Other than Ristow’s list on Litterless, there is no central tracking of zero-waste stores in the US. But there is growing evidence that consumers are demanding less packaging.

Kaela Martins, senior manager of environmental programs at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, points to stores like REI, which eliminated the sealable plastic envelopes it had used for shipping individual items of clothing, as well as a partnership between CVS Health and venture firm Closed Loop Partners to test out reusable packaging options.

Major supermarket chains in Europe and the US are making similar moves: Some Carrefour locations in France and Kroger locations in the US have signed up for TerraCycle’s Loop service, which provides and cleans reusable glass and metal containers for shoppers.

Jennifer Bartashus, a retail analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence, specifically points to the proliferation of package-free stores in Europe, where the trend has been gaining traction for a decade thanks in part to a long tradition of open-air markets. “There’s only a certain segment of customers that this format is going to resonate with,” Bartashus says. “But I think this type of store definitely has appeal.”

Consumer interest is even spurring a cottage industry of workshops to help entrepreneurs meet the demand. “I get emails every week from people who are interested in opening up a zero-waste store,” Haukedahl says. Since 2014, Berlin-based Original Unverpackt has been offering a 190-euro ($193) course on how to open a package-free store.

In the US, Haukedahl points interested parties to Seattle’s Scoop Marketplace, whose educational branch offers a three-part free workshop on opening a zero-waste store, as well as a 10-module class for $3,500. Two years in, Scoop owner Stephanie Lentz says 45 people have taken the paid version.

Zero-Waste Limitations

By the time Brittany Snipes decided to start a zero-waste shop in Portland this year, there were models to look to. The 29-year-old entrepreneur and her boyfriend, 27-year-old Ryan Knowles, wanted to model their store, Realm Refillery, at least in part on two other plastic-free shops:

Nada in Vancouver and the Refillery in Edinburgh. Both are full-service grocery stores with personal care sections, in addition to selling dry goods. 

Since opening in May, Snipes and Knowles say business has been swift. In addition to bulk dry goods, plus produce and bread from a beloved nearby bakery, Realm Refillery has a cold bar stocked with local favorites like Choi’s kimchi, Trazza hummus, and Fermenter’s vegan sauerkraut.

An Oregon law bars customers from bringing in their own food containers, but for $2 apiece Realm customers can effectively rent glass jars in perpetuity. (Snipes and Knowles are also active in efforts to change the law.)

Startup costs aren’t the only obstacles for zero-waste retailers. Grocery stores are already a notoriously low-margin business, small stores have less purchasing power, and environmentally sensitive products tend to be more expensive as it is. That makes customer loyalty particularly important.

“If you are frequenting a zero-waste store, you likely have a belief system you are backing with your shopping behavior and are willing to spend money to support that cause,” says Bloomberg’s Bartashus. She also posits that the higher costs for consumers might be offset by buying smaller quantities more frequently, as opposed to stockpiling packaged products.

Diversification helps, too. Realm, for example, credits its success with selling home goods and personal care items. “Those profit margins are higher, so that’s helped us balance it out,” says Snipes, who is also planning to introduce grab-and-go food, another higher-margin offering. “We want to do empanadas, dumplings, frozen pizza — but have it in a double-lined paper sack,” she says.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for zero-waste stores, though, is living up to the spirit of their mission — which often means prioritizing solutions versus striving for perfection.

Some zero-waste stores still sell individually wrapped items, albeit often in compostable packaging, and some customers might buy dozens of tote bags or reusable containers, which are all carbon-intensive.

Fresher food can also (counterintuitively) lead to more food waste, though some stores are making efforts — like with food donations — to counteract this.

Finally, even though the people who shop at zero-waste stores are eschewing plastic, most consumer products and many commercial food brands still rely on plastic packaging. Even the most climate-conscious shopper will find it difficult to avoid entirely.

Ask owners and advocates of zero-waste stores, though, and they’ll say that it’s more about starting to change behavior than presenting a cure-all. And there’s plenty of evidence that habits can be changed.

“All across the country now, people have become acclimated to bringing their own bags,” says Bartashus. “So training them to bring a container may not be a difficult next step.”