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"Though it is very difficult to implement zero waste supermarkets everywhere (citizens mostly forget to bring their recyclable bags to store), but it is not impossible and such change is obviously needed."

One of the greatest challenges facing our times is the packaging and the resulting waste. 16million tonnes of packaging trash in generated every year in Germany alone. Social awareness is on a high as many of us are aware of this problem but are left with no choice in the supermarkets but to purchase products in disposable packaging.

To eliminate food-packaging waste before it even gets into the shopping cart is the idea behind Original Unverpackt (Unwrapped in German), a new concept supermarket that takes things into zero-waste territory by encouraging consumers to tote reusable containers to the store. Original Unverpackt is a one of a kind of supermarket. Opened in September 2014, in Berlin Germany here you can shop for your daily groceries without the use of disposable packaging. Everyone contributes to a smaller carbon footprint, but when 80% of stocks sold in supermarkets are wrapped in toxic packaging it becomes difficult to achieve the goal of zero waste. For example, Americans produce nearly 3 pounds of trash every day.

Though it is very difficult to implement zero waste supermarkets everywhere (citizens mostly forget to bring their recyclable bags to store), but it is not impossible and such change is obviously needed. As the creators noted on their website, this generation has “littered the world,” so maybe the next one has a chance to make it better. Original Unverpackt is not just another option to the supermarket chain but a real alternative. It has redesigned the shopping experience. No endless shelves filled with products that promise you salvation. No piles of packaging after every shopping trip. No fights over who’s going to take out the garbage. No more throwing away food, because you bought too large of a pack. It has not only made grocery shopping pleasant again but also the environment benefits from this shopping experience.

At Original Unverpackt the products are dispensed in bulk from so-called gravity bins. With one pull of the lever you can decide how much flows out into your container of choice. The easiest way is to bring your own containers, but if you don’t have your own containers with you, no problem! You can borrow some at the store or use the recycled paper bags on offer. This project is the beginning of the end of packaging madness. This project sets an example and demonstrates that there are other ways to conceive of shopping. In only one generation we have managed to flood our planet with waste, let’s give the next generation the opportunity to make it better.

http://original-unverpackt.de/