When you walk into a supermarket, you expect to see row upon row of packaging that houses your favorite grocery items, but when two Berliners, Sara Wolf and Milena Glimbovski, took it upon themselves to recreate the shopping experience, they saw that packing being a thing of the past.
Everything in your typical supermarket, whether it is fruit, vegetables, or milk, comes in packaging. While many of the containers today can be recycled, the reality is that all too often people skip the recycling bins. Wolf and Glimbovski noted that 16 million tons of packaging gets thrown away every year in Germany alone, so they set out to create “Original Unverpackt” to offer groceries in a more environmentally pleasing fashion.
Instead of endless rows of products arranged on shelves, everything in the store will be served up in bulk bins catered to the specific items. Shoppers will bring their own containers and will have the luxury of taking as little or as much as they actually need.
More than 600 products will be available when “Original Unverpackt” opens in Berlin, including non-food items such as shampoo, toothpaste and diapers.
“Original Unverpackt” hasn’t even opened their doors and the co-founders are already being asked about franchise possibilities from people all around the world. It is unknown how successful this packaging-free concept will be once the store opens for business, but Wolf and Glimbovski are confident that they will have a hit on their hands.
Sources: Original Unverpackt, Wall Street Journal, RP Online
Photos: Original Unverpackt
