Original Unverpackt: the First Zero Waste Grocery Store in the World

Imagine shopping in a zero-waste grocery store with no food packaging and no plastic bags. For eco-conscious consumers, this dream is a reality now in Berlin, Germany, where Original Unverpackt (Original Unpackaged) opened last year.

The shop, backed by crowdfunding, is a creative experiment in a new kind of shopping, one that takes the ethics of stores like Whole Foods to a new level. It sells mostly organic products, each of which is labeled with its country of origin, and avoids brand names. Sara Wolf and Milena Glimbovski, the duo behind the project, were driven by the slogan “Let’s be real, try something impossible.”

This new grocery store creates zero waste by allowing customers to purchase exactly how much they need, reducing waste in their homes. Shelves are stocked in bulk using dispensable bins, and the store offers nearly 350 products that include organic fruit, vegetables, dry grains and pourable liquids such as shampoo, milk and yogurt. Shoppers are encouraged to bring their own refillable containers, borrow some from the store or use bags made from recycled paper.

Moreover, Original Unverpackt’s strategy, which complies with Germany’s strict sanitation rules, requires all containers brought into the store to be disinfected on-site.

Consumers pay by weight of the product minus the weight of their containers. An advantage of this form of shopping is that customers buy exactly the amount they need and don’t overspend on food that they might end up throwing away.

Thanks to Wolf and Glimbovski’s successful crowdfunding campaign for social entrepreneurship, the duo were able to raise enough money to fund their experimental grocery store idea. Their mission is to radically change the grocery shopping experience and open a nationwide packaging-free supermarket chain.

In terms of pricing, some of the products offered at Original Unverpackt are more expensive, mainly because they’re organic. But other items are comparable, if not cheaper than standard supermarkets. And the “fill-your-own-container” idea can save customers money by preventing them from overspending on food.

Let’s see how people will react to Original Unverpackt ‘s mission to revolutionize the grocery shopping experience. Aren’t you curious?

Sources:

http://nextshark.com/original-unpackaged-grocery-store-no-waste/

http://www.salon.com/2014/09/17/this_zero_waste_supermarket_got_rid_of_all_food_packaging/

http://www.theplaidzebra.com/zero-waste-grocery-store-no-packaging-plastic-big-name-brands/

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