Chisato ShizumeYou may live in a country where bulk stores are not unusual. It would be the norm to take empty jars or reusable small bags to buy beans, rice or any food that you need at your grocery store. Then you might be surprised to know that in Japan, there isn’t much choice but to buy products packed in plastic containers or packaging.
Since July 1, all stores in Japan began charging shoppers for single-use plastic bags. This measure is taken to lessen plastic waste in Japan, but the stores are still full of items packed in plastic. It’s no wonder Japan generates approximately 9 million tons of plastic waste per year, and almost half of it consists of plastic containers and packaging (as of 2019). Since when did Japan become plastic dependent like today?
It’s not so long ago that plastic products became part of our everyday life around the world. Surprisingly, manufacturing plastic became mainstream only after World War II. Because there was a high demand for military use during the war, copper, aluminum, steel and zinc became extremely precious. Like so, plastic was a substitute to replace metal products in people’s lives. But because they were light, durable and less expensive to produce, plastic turned out to be a better alternative for the people. And so the global demand for plastic grew rapidly in the postwar era.
But now that we know the consequences of producing too much plastic, can we stop being plastic dependent and make actions to stop the over-consumption? Well, why not start with having more choices with how we shop. Although many Japanese products such as detergents and body care products are available at stores in refill packs, those packagings are also made of plastic. If we can refill these products directly into our containers at stores, then we can reduce plastic waste generated from purchasing refill packs. And this is the concept ‘Refill Station’ ecostore JAPAN Co., Ltd. introduced to Japanese convenience stores from August 26.
‘ecostore’ was founded in 1993 by a married couple who lived in a permaculture eco-village in New Zealand. It is a cleaning and personal care product brand widely known for its environmental friendliness, and manufactured with plant, minerals and no harmful chemicals.
The company established ecostore JAPAN in 2017, providing natural and organic beauty products, fashion, food and design. It is also keen to reduce plastic waste by making bulk stores more common in Japan. The company already has 8 ecostore Refill Stations in Japan; it is now installing 2 more by collaborating with Japanese convenience stores to improve accessibility. Shoppers can bring their own empty containers and refill ecostore products. There is no need to worry about buying a new container if you don’t have one; there will be three types of free containers available at the stores. And it’s not only about reducing waste — shoppers can decide how much to purchase, and it’s even economical. The refill price is cheaper compared to the same product that is bottled.
The new Refill Stations that are available include NATURAL LAWSON Jingu Gaien Nishi store and NATURAL LAWSON Shibaura Kaigan Dori store. The following ecostore products will be on sale:
- Grapefruit Dish liquid (70 JPY / 100g)
- Eucalyptus Laundry liquid (80 JPY / 100g)
- Citrus Fabric Softener (110 JPY /100g)
- Eucalyptus Wool & Delicates (90 JPY / 100g)
Ecostore aims to open 50 Refill Stations by 2023 to reduce plastic waste and to enhance people’s awareness. By then, maybe taking empty jars and containers to our grocery shopping will be a little more common in Japan. We hope to see more bulk stores and bulk section at grocery stores across the country to make a drastic change in how we shop and to achieve a zero-waste shopping habit in Japan.
