While it’s not perfect, the world has made some significant steps towards making the planet a cleaner and healthier place. Not only has people’s frame of mind become, for the most part, more eco-friendly, but a number of companies have also taken initiative by offering products and solutions that have a reduced, if not non-existent, negative effect on the planet.
One of the most recent developments here is ASDA’s new sustainability store, a supermarket that offers a greener approach to shopping for groceries and a number of other items.
ASDA is making a huge leap forward in reducing the excessive use of plastic around the globe
Image credits: ASDA
ASDA, a British grocery and general merchandise supermarket retailer, has recently announced that it’s opened what it calls a sustainability store. It is a part of ASDA’s new plastics reduction strategy that will empower its store patrons to reduce, reuse, and recycle in hopes of reducing the negative footprint left by the excessive use of plastics.
On its website, ASDA detailed all of the eco-friendly facilities that it has placed in its sustainability store. These include 15 refill stations offering over 30 household goods sold in refillable format.
These include cereal, oats, tea and coffee, rice, pasta, and a number of other products. There are also refill zones for shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent, hand soap, and shower gel.
It has opened a Sustainable Store, a grocery shop that actively encourages reuse and recycling
Image credits: ASDA
Over 50 fresh produce lines will now be sold loose and completely unwrapped and things like plants and flowers will also be sold without plastic wrapping. It even made sure the outer plastic wrapping on several popular canned beans, soups, and other product multipacks will also be removed.
The store will also include recycling facilities for items that are difficult to recycle in curbside collections—for things like plastic crisp and biscuit packets, plastic toys, cosmetics containers, and toothpaste tubes.
Besides this, ASDA will also offer reverse vending machines for used cans, plastic and glass drinks bottles, and a hanger-recycling facility.
It's equipped with 15 refill stations for various food as well hygiene products
Image credits: ASDA
None of its fresh produce is packaged either, and even multipacks are void of plastics
Image credits: ASDA
To top it all off, ASDA has partnered up with a number of clothing companies and organizations to offer sustainable fashion lines that make recycled clothing. Among these partners is the Salvation Army, with whom ASDA will collaborate to offer a Dop and Shot outlet service where people will be able to donate unwanted clothing and bric-à-brac.
Now, this project is the first of its kind for ASDA, so it’s natural that it’s located in Middleton, Leeds—the city where ASDA is also headquartered. It has been launched as a trial store to see how well it goes with plans to open more sustainability stores in 2021.
“This is an issue that matters greatly to our customers—our own insight tells us that more than 80% believe that supermarkets have a responsibility to reduce the amount of single-use plastics in stores,” said Roger Burnley, ASDA’s CEO and President.
He continued: “We want to give them the opportunity to live more sustainably by offering them great product choices and value, underpinned by a promise that they won’t pay more for greener options at ASDA.”
So far, there is only one such store—in Middleton, Leeds—but there are plans to open more in 2021
Image credits: ASDA
ASDA is committed to generating zero carbon emissions by 2040 and reducing waste by 50% as well as having a net regenerative impact on nature by 2050. It has also promised to introduce over 40 new refillable products by 2023 and invest in 50 closed-loop/circular projects by 2030.
Now, this isn’t a novel idea as a number of brands and stores—mostly clothing and smaller retailers—have already assumed an active eco-friendly position in such regard. However, it is certainly a huge leap forward ecology-wise when a giant supermarket chain joins the cause and promises to foster the idea further.
ASDA ir partnering up with a number of companies and organizations to make this happen
Image credits: ASDA
What are your thoughts on this? What are some of the habits and ways you help the planet? Let us know in the comment section below!
Here's what the internet had to say about this move by ASDA
