June Eng, a recycling enthusiast headed to UnPackt – a social enterprise located in Jalan Kuras that sells daily necessities without packaging – to purchase groceries with three reusable containers in her bag.
Despite having to bring her own carrier, the 42-year-old, who became a vegetarian four years ago to reduce her carbon footprint, described it as an experience that she had been “looking forward to”.
“I always wanted to do this but never had the chance,” she said, while passing a container to her child to get a snack. “This is a good initiative that’s long overdue.”
Instead of the usual pre-packed items that one is used to seeing at supermarkets, dried food, oils and cleaning supplies are stocked in self-service dispensers that line up the shelves. Customers are free to fill up their carriers with the amount they want and prices are determined by weight.
The grocery store, which opened its doors in mid May 2018, is not alone in touting this packaging-free concept.
At The Social Space, a multi-concept lifestyle store along Kreta Ayer Street, the refillery section is decked out with at least ten dispensers, each ranging from 15 to 20 litres. Items on sale include shampoo, eco-friendly dishwashing and laundry liquids.
Pop-up store The Green Collective is also encouraging shoppers to bring more than just their own bags. Among the 15 eco-friendly brands gathered under one roof at OneKM Mall, two of them sell food items and Castile liquid soap without packaging.
All three shops require consumers to bring their own containers and bottles, or purchase one in-store. At UnPackt, there is also the option of using a donated one for free.
“ENCOURAGING START”
These zero-waste businesses come as packaging continues to make a big contribution to Singapore’s annual trash mountain.
Figures from the National Environment Agency (NEA) showed that 1.7 million tonnes of waste was generated domestically in 2016. Of this, one-third was packaging waste, such as single-use plastic bags and takeaway food containers that could fill up more than 1,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.
With their stores offering plastic-free shopping options, the eco-conscious entrepreneurs are hoping to get Singaporeans started on reducing waste in their daily lives.
UnPackt’s co-founder Florence Tay said the response thus far has been “quite good”, with the grocery store seeing a couple of regulars within two weeks of opening.
“We managed to encourage some of the residents nearby to embark on purchasing without packaging,” said the former marketing manager at the Singapore Heart Foundation. “On their first time here, they had to use one of our recycled containers but subsequently, they started bringing their own.”
“This is definitely faster than I expected,” said Ms Tay.
WIDENING THE REACH
Still, the entrepreneurs are aware that not all consumers have given them the green light, especially in Singapore where the use of single-use plastic, such as straws and food packaging, are entrenched in the country’s consumption habits.
“We all wanted to talk to more local consumers, which is why we are so happy to have the opportunity of a retail store in the heartlands. Just focusing on the expatriate community or those who are already eco-warriors won’t work,” said Mr Mayur Singh, who is a co-founder of The Green Collective and also runs social enterprise Coopita which curates and sells artisan products that are made using sustainable practices.
Pricing is a strategy that the businesses are banking on to appeal to more consumers.
Given the absence of individual packaging, the economics of bulk-purchasing allows UnPackt and The Social Space to price their products at 5% to 10% cheaper, respectively.
Ms Jen Teo, executive director of the Singapore Environment Council, reckoned that with green consumerism on the rise, eco-friendly stores are a “step in the right direction” and will likely do well in the long run.
But before that, more needs to be done to drum up awareness about Singapore’s environmental issues.
“Singaporeans will need to learn to reduce waste and recycle more if it is to reach the goal of becoming a Zero Waste Nation by 2030. The key lies in understanding what we should use less of, and what we can and should eliminate in our daily living,” said Ms Tan.
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Source: Channel NewsAsia, 20 May 2018