Our story
I am often asked why and how I started Shop Zero. It was back in 2016. I was already a committed sustainability bod, but I hadn’t really clocked the waste and plastic issue. Then my friend lent me the book Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson. And my eyes were opened.
Reading Bea’s book, I became super-aware of the waste we were creating at home. I also started studying what we were putting into the ‘recycling’ bin. I started to notice the plastic-based litter on our streets and in our green spaces. I was feeling pretty overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.
It was then that I stumbled across Plastic Free July and went for it wholeheartedly. But I quickly figured out that the world isn’t set-up to make it easy for us to reduce waste or plastic. And so, wanting to make things easier for more people, I started my pop-up sustainable shopping events with Nottingham Zero Waste Collective.
From there, combined with my research (I have a PhD in sustainability) and experience, I opened my own zero-waste shop in Nottingham’s city centre, Shop Zero. Our focus is on providing high quality sustainable goods with minimal packaging and a lower environmental impact; reducing packaging and food waste by offering whole foods and store cupboard essentials in bulk and unpackaged; and hosting a programme of events, pop-up shops and workshops to help more people shop sustainably with confidence.
To hear more about Shop Zero, listen to the Carbon Copy Podcast Running Out of Time special episode featuring this initiative.
Our advice
By working alongside local producers and makers, we know the provenance of what we sell – where our products come from and what they’re made of. This is so important if you, as a business, want to lower the environmental impact of your supply chain.
Hosting events helps people appreciate the difference they can make by adopting more sustainable practices, such as reducing consumption, recycling and composting. We’ve seen first-hand how engaging, relatable sustainability talks and workshops can inspire people to make positive changes, including at work.
Zero-waste prioritises reducing and reusing first because the most sustainable way to manage waste is to not create it in the first place. When waste is generated, zero-waste practices should encourage individuals and businesses to find ways to reuse it, rather than sending it to be recycled. At Shop Zero, we have our own hierarchy of waste in the practices we adopt and promote: Refuse/rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Refill, Relove, Regift, Rot, Repair and Recycle.
Our metrics
Reduction in food and packaging waste. Participants at our events and workshops throughout the year.
