Stan Evans writes
On a recent visit to Winchester I was lucky enough to stumble across Earthian – Zero Waste Shop, right in the centre of the city on Parchment Street.
With a passion for all things eco I had go inside to check out what this attractive shop has to offer.
I was lucky enough to visit when Katie, the manager and owner of Earthian, was there, and she was more than happy to answer my questions.
Earthian is not just another retail business in the heart of the city, it’s a passion, and in fact part, and the start, of something much bigger, as Katie explains :
Q: Katie, what is Earthian and what made you think about starting this business?
Earthian offers a more eco-friendly way to shop for your essentials. We have food and cleaning products in bulk that customers can fill their own tubs with, negating the need for new packaging each time they shop. We also stock an ever-growing range of plastic free homeware and personal care products. I started this business because I wanted to reduce my own harmful impact and I was trying to live a low waste lifestyle at home. After a while, I set about trying to find a way that I could offer others a place to shop this way more easily.
Q: Are the public ready to purchase and shop ecologically? What are the differences, challenges, and advantages of this new way of shopping?
I believe that people are ready and they’re willing to make it part of their habits. There is growing concern around plastic pollution, not just for those that study nature but everyone has some awareness now and would like to do their bit. The two main advantages of shopping with us is reduced plastic and food waste of course, but we are also comparable to the supermarket in terms of pricing. The challenge can be taking the first step, but fortunately this is often a lot easier than people imagine it to be.
Katie chatting over a product with Winchester Green Party Joint Co-ordinator, Kate Needham
Q: How do you see the future of your business and eco-shopping?
Improving the ethical and sustainable standards of our business is our immediate goal. This year and beyond we aim to become carbon neutral and zero waste to landfill. We would like to grow in size to be able to offer more variety, at the moment we are limited by space but these things will come in time. Beyond our own shop, I’d like to see eco-friendly shopping become normal practice rather than something niche. It needs to be more accessible, but that should also come with higher standards that prevent greenwashing.
Q: What do you think local or national government should be doing to help environmentally focused retailers such as yourselves?
We are all trying to do the best we can, as community groups, small businesses and as individuals but this is independent of our governments actions. We need a more joined up approach to sustainability and a willingness from leadership to make bigger, more actionable change. In terms of supporting eco-focused retailers, we struggle with the same issues that all independent businesses do. In recent years there have been a huge number of challenges to overcome, and the support has been noticeably lacking, even though SMEs make up 99% of the GDP!
Earthian is at 9a Parchment St. Winchester – Visit their website HERE
We often hear ecological green product and service reviews from the point of view of the consumer. So it was great to hear an eco-retailers point of view and perspective on bringing more environmentally sound products to our shopping bag, and the challenges and opportunities they face. For sure the way we shop, and the way retailers sell will change, from products, to packaging, to packing avoidance, to purchasing. People like Katie are quietly driving the future of shopping with one eye firmly on our environment and what and how we consume, when in Winchester go and visit Earthian and check it out for yourself. A positive green highlight, shops like this are thankfully leading the way. Thanks Katie.
