#market

Self-improvement is a lifetime task. Every year millions of people make new years resolutions by signing up to the gym and starting a new diet, taking on too many things at once. This inevitably leads to failure through over extension, a byproduct of taking on too many new tasks.

Not all changes have to be big or drastic, sometimes something small can equal big change.

Changing your shopping habits is something so subtle and accessible that you’ll hardly notice a difference, and you’ll save some money along the way!

Single use plastic in particular is almost at a crisis level. In 2016 we produced 335 million metric tons of plastic, half of which which was exclusively for single use packaging. [1]

Ripple is among the first zero-waste stores in Cardiff. Allowing you as a consumer to purchase your everyday items such as pasta and washing powder without having to shell out for unnecessary single use packaging!

The store is stacked from floor to ceiling with all kinds of products. All in handy, well-marked containers that are easy to access. They stock all kinds of dried food, spices, cereals, grains, sweets, and household products. They also stock some zero-waste lifestyle products and clothing as well as some cosmetic supplies.

The whole concept of zero-waste living can come across as being quite lofty and unattainable. But in fact it’s actually helped me be more organised when I shop and in my kitchen at home, and is nowhere near as expensive as I’d been led to believe.

The great thing about it is that you can use any container you own to purchase your products. For example I have an old bottle of Jack Daniels filled with Faith in Nature shampoo as well as an empty tin of Uppercut Deluxe that I stash raw chocolate raisins in for work.

One of the most handy things I’ve bought is their all purpose cleaner. As with all of the other items in the store, you can fill your own container by weight. But being a cleaning product, you ideally want to keep the information written on the bottle for reference. So what they did was make bottle for it. On your first purchase the bottle and cleaner cost £5 which seems a little pricey. However if you bring the bottle back when it’s empty, a refill only costs you £2!

Ripple has really pulled it out of the hessian sack. Their store is stunning and very well stocked with pretty much everything you need to start and maintain your zero-waste journey. By changing my habits and phasing out single use packaging I’m saving myself money and more importantly. Reducing my reliance on single use plastic!

I’m making an effort to do better. Self-improvement is a lifetime task. Every year millions of people make new years resolutions by signing up to the gym and starting a new diet, taking on too many things at once.