Unpacked

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An unpackaged shop is a retail store that differs from other shops in that the entire range is offered loose - i.e. without containers and therefore free of packaging . The aim is to avoid food waste and packaging waste. Especially in western economic countries there is a demand for packaging-free shopping; packaging-free shops have been opening since around 2010.

idea

The focus of packaging-free shops is on offering unpackaged food and products. These can be filled in any quantity in your own containers you have brought with you. Most of the time, biodegradable packaging or reusable containers are also offered for sale or deposit containers in the shop. The aim is to counteract the overproduction of food on the one hand and to consistently avoid packaging and plastic waste on the other .

Storage of goods

Different systems are used to store food in the store. Flours are usually offered in lockable boxes or sacks, vegetables and fruit in wooden boxes, and fresh products in refrigerated counters . The specialty lies in the so-called gravity bins, vertically mounted containers, which allow the removal of the goods in the desired amount and in compliance with the hygiene regulations: the product can be filled through a lockable opening and in the desired amount through a portioning wheel Fill the vessel. The dispenser solutions available on the market are mostly made of plastic. Some packaging-free stores have developed their own systems made of stainless steel , wood and glass in order to be able to do without plastic .

function

The process of purchasing usually takes place as follows:

  1. Weighing the empty container and writing down the empty weight (either with a sticker or with a foil pen on the container)
  2. Filling the product in the desired amount
  3. Re-weighing the container (independently or at the checkout)
  4. The empty weight is deducted from the total weight and the goods are paid for

concept

The concept of packaging-free shopping is aimed at sustainable development . For this reason, the following standards are usually used when choosing the range: organic , regional and seasonal products. In this way, local structures can be supported and long transport routes avoided. Often the shop has its own recycling kitchen, in which leftover food is processed.

Zero waste movement

The goals pursued by packaging-free shops can be assigned to the Zero Waste Movement ( English , literally 'zero waste movement'). This social movement is based on the redesign of production methods and the life cycle of resources ( sustainability ). Other important principles are Cradle to Cradle (English, literally 'from cradle to cradle', a circular economy philosophy) and the Precycle approach (English, literally 'pre-cycle' = waste avoidance ). Packaging-free shops try to enable waste-free shopping or offer packaging solutions that are sustainable and reusable.

Open source movement

Packaging-free shops lack resources to connect customers, for example there are still few references online . For this reason there is a loose communication network under some of the (mainly German-speaking) shops to exchange ideas. NOVO Bozen , a store that is still in the development phase, pursues an open content approach. In addition to disclosing the course of the project and the research results, construction instructions are also made available as free content.

Situation in Germany

As the first packaging-free shop in Germany, Unpacked - loose, sustainable, good opened in Kiel in 2014 . In the same year the shops Plastikfrei Zone in Munich , Original Unpacked in Berlin and Freikost Deinet in Bonn followed . In 2015, stores in Dresden , Hamburg (two), Hanover , Heidelberg , Mainz , Münster (two) and Schwäbisch Gmünd followed . In 2016 the number of new openings increased further and continued in the following year. In October 2017 there were around 50 of these stores in Germany - especially in larger cities - and around 60 packaging-free stores in May 2018. The first unpackaged store in Frankfurt am Main opened in February 2019 in the Frankfurt-Bockenheim district . By May 2019, the number of packaging-free shops in Germany had risen to over a hundred.

Since 2018, the Bio Company has had several branches with an unpacking station. In July 2019, Tegut began offering 144 packaged-free foods in a branch in Fulda . On August 1st, Edeka followed with a department for packaging-free articles in a branch in Ruhpolding .

Hygiene regulations

“The same hygiene regulations apply to shops without packaging as to normal grocery stores. The locked dispensers guarantee the clean storage of the products. So far there have been no official complaints against this type of storage. ”Most products are offered in the store for self- service. In order to meet the hygiene regulations, some shops offer fresh animal products at freshly served counters.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Annika Flatley: Packaging-free supermarket: Shopping without packaging. In: Utopia . April 11, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2016 .
  2. ↑ a b Bags and cardboard boxes will remain with us. In: Wirtschaftswoche . Retrieved October 8, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Christian Endt: Shop without packaging. In: The time . April 7, 2014, accessed October 8, 2016 .
  4. ↑ This is how packaging-free supermarkets work. In: The world . Retrieved October 8, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Barbara Vorsamer: How bad is plastic packaging? In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . March 7, 2016, accessed October 8, 2016 .
  6. ↑ NOVO Project Timeline. In: novobz.github.io. Retrieved October 8, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Carmen Schucker: No mess, no meat and lots of muesli. In: Der Tagesspiegel . September 25, 2014, accessed October 23, 2017 .
  8. ↑ Unpackaged stores in Germany. In: Enorm , accessed April 28, 2019.
  9. ^ Leo Frühschütz: Packaging-free stores. In: Federal Center for Nutrition , October 17, 2017, accessed on April 28, 2019.
  10. ↑ Sabrina Heinen: Nothing for the masses. In: Deutschlandfunk Nova , May 17, 2018, accessed on April 28, 2019.
  11. ↑ No plastic waste: first packaging-free shop opened in Frankfurt. In: faz.net . February 6, 2019, accessed September 26, 2019 .
  12. ↑ Supermarkets are trying to reduce plastic waste. In: Fulda newspaper . May 26, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019 .
  13. ↑ Buy packaging free. In: biocompany.de. November 13, 2018, accessed September 26, 2019 .
  14. ↑ Buy unpacked at the Tegut Fulda-Kaiserwiesen. In: Fulda newspaper . July 18, 2019, accessed July 20, 2019 .
  15. ↑ Jennifer Bretz: The first supermarket with packaging-free items is in Ruhpolding. In: chiemgau24.de. August 2, 2019, accessed August 2, 2019 .