Zero Waste Scotland has announced £1m fund for proposals to reduce packaging.
Image: Locavore has launched a range of fill your own plastic-free shopping range. Photo: courtesy of Zero Waste Scotland Limited.
Glasgow-based super market Locavore has secured a portion of funding to launch packaging-free products at the store.
The new store, located in Victoria Road, is providing a range of fill your own plastic-free shopping range for its customers.
The product range includes pulses, nuts, grains, oil and vinegar, as well as all types of household cleaning products and snacks such as popcorn.
The £100,000 funding from Zero Waste Scotland is supported by the Scottish Government and the European Regional Development Fund.
Zero Waste Scotland is seeking for more innovative new ideas to cut plastic and packaging waste.
It is seeking ideas from businesses to reduce single-use packaging and around 120,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste is produced per annum from households in Scotland.
Scottish environment, climate change and land reform cabinet secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “It was fantastic to visit Locavore to launch its new range of packaging-free goods and see for myself how customers can come back again and again for essential items, thanks to the use of refillable containers.”
Zero Waste Scotland launched £73m Resource Efficient Circular Economy Accelerator Programme, as part of its efforts to enhance the economic performance of SMEs and reduce the impact of economic activity on the natural environment.
The organization is providing the funding to the businesses to advance the implementation of Scottish Government’s circular economy strategy and the EU Action Plan for the Circular Economy.
Zero Waste Scotland resources efficiency program manager Warren McIntyre said: “Zero Waste Scotland has worked with Locavore to help flag up areas where the store could cut packaging and provided advice and funding to help them introduce these new packaging-free options for customers.
“Shoppers are increasingly concerned about single-use packaging which is often not, or can’t be, recycled. While packaging has a role to play in ensuring food and other products reach consumers in good condition, businesses such as Locavore show that it can be reduced – and that’s extremely popular with shoppers.”