In Berlin, The Germans have created a store with eco-conscious customers in mind. The concept  was developed by the new company, Original Unverpackt (Original Unpackaged).

OU’s  idea is super simple! – Reduce the waste as much as possible!

They stook the shelves using a bulk bin system with an assortment of fruits, vegetables and grains. (Even shampoo and milk are dispensed from refillable containers).

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You won’t find any paper or plastic bags here—or any kind of bags for that matter. This new grocery store creates zero waste by allowing customers to purchase exactly how much they need, reducing waste in their homes.

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Cons:
Buying your groceries waste-free means some planning, for sure. You have to bring re-usable bags and containers.
– OU has a huge selection of glass jars, cotton bags, metal boxes and bottles to establish your waste-free life. But you can obviously re-use things you have at home – empty jam or pickle jars, use unused pillowcases for bread and vegetables,… browse your stock before buying new!

Pros:
The products isnt more expensive, its actaually lower than the averege. OU doesn’t carry any products under popular brand names, the products are high quality and mostly organic.
Everything is sold in bulk, which means you just take as much as you need, fill it in your own bags and jars, whose weight will be subtracted at the cashier, and pay only the produce.

Which also means the price per kilo is lower than the average!
– Did you notice that in a conventional supermarket the price per kilo drops with the size of the package? OU obviously only has one price per kilo, regardless of whether you buy 200g or 2000g. Especially more expensive things like superfoods are considerably less pricey in a shop like this– with the average price tag being the same as in any other organic food store. So, it is a good opportunity for the locals to eat local and healthy food without having to pay more than in other shops. And, it has a low ecological footprint because most of the products have not travelled long distances.

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The important thing is to re-consider your life-style, and by supporting stores like this it will make your start into and progress of a zero-waste life a lot easier. Spread the Word Also check other similar stores. For example the very well established, Italian Effectora and the Spanish Catalan Granel.

Similar concept…. Less Waste …. Happy Shopping!