Japan’s return to zero waste through bulk shopping

Packaging is one of the great conveniences of modern life. Plastic and other materials can be used for product packages to make shipping and distribution easier. Waste from these packages can cause great damage to the environment, however. Plastic waste especially can end up in our oceans, harming and destroying sea life and ecosystems.

This is of a particular concern to Japan, as it is known for its excessive use of plastic packaging. Thankfully, there are Japanese companies aiming for zero waste products and services. Some businesses are drawing on older Japanese traditions to promote sustainability and zero waste lifestyles.

When hakari-uri was the norm

One of these is bulk shopping, which is called hakari-uri in Japanese. Before modern times, it was common for Japanese people to purchase certain food staples, such as miso and rice, in bulk. Shoppers would bring their own containers to shops, filling them up with whatever was needed. Japanese also had various types of containers which served different purposes. Some were designed with wider mouths, making them useful for storing liquids. Other pots had spouts, which were good for accessing soy sauce and sake. Pots with smaller lids were used for salt and vinegar.

As individual product packaging became more common, hakari-uri became less so, though some modern shops still sell Japanese staple foods in bulk.

While hakari-uri is an older concept, it is a fantastic idea for reducing waste. Some businesses are taking advantage of the idea for their own products.

Relearn a zero-waste shopping style

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Japan’s National Tax Agency started granting limited time licenses to alcohol retailers so they can sell their products for takeout. Yoho Brewing is one business that took advantage of the license. They have started selling containers for customers to purchase their beer for takeout. The containers cost 3,000 yen, though customers can also rent them for free.

Yoho Brewing’s takeout option is reminiscent of hakari-uri for sake. Other businesses have also started using hakari-uri for organic goods. Atsuko Umeda is the President of Papillon d’Or, an importer of organic food. In 2019, she started another business called nue. The store’s name means “naked” in French, and it sells various organic goods, including dried fruits and vegetables, honey, soy beans and teas.

Customers use their own containers to purchase goods at exactly the amounts they need. The store also provides rental containers for a 100 yen returnable deposit. Not satisfied with just its own business, nue also has the mission of encouraging similar hakari-uri stores by providing its knowledge to other businesses with the same goals.

When we think of sustainability, we often think in terms of forward progress. Images of future innovations and new technologies which are more eco-friendly and efficient come to mind. However, we can also take a page from past traditions when thinking of ways to promote sustainability.

Bulk shopping is certainly not the only way we can cut down on packaging. Using our own containers instead of individualized packaging is still an obvious and simple way to reduce waste. Hakari-uri shows us that we can look to the past as well as the future for ideas to help our environment.