Packaging is everywhere when shopping. Who has never had the (unpleasant) surprise of discovering, when opening a first package, countless individual packagings that multiply the waste generated?
The manufacturers, under the pretext of hygiene and convenience, do not hesitate to accumulate layers. Cardboard is a lesser evil, but generally, it mainly consists of plastic and its derivatives. Even before putting the shopping purchases in the cupboards and the fridge, we have already filled the bin with unnecessary packaging.
To combat this scourge, various approaches are being implemented. The regulations mainly aim for an end to single-use plastic packaging by 2040 and are based on the polluter-pays principle. However, other initiatives, sometimes spontaneous, are also being implemented locally and can serve as precursors to more global approaches.
From Bulk to Single-Use Packaging
As highlighted in an article by RTL, common alternatives to single-use plastics are being offered to consumers during their supermarket purchases. Several stores have introduced sections offering bulk products (especially dry foods: pasta, cereals, seeds, etc.).
When buying a package, one should not be fooled; the packaging price also reflected in what one pays. Buying in bulk allows for this saving. It is also a major lever to promote the reuse of containers and bid farewell to disposable plastics.
However, self-service distributors also have their faults. The main issue, from the consumer’s perspective, often stems from a less assured mastery of the quantities dispensed. It is not uncommon to be caught off guard by the product flow and end up leaving with a higher volume than desired (resulting in a higher price at the checkout). An innovation, however, is able to put an end to this problem!
An Initiative That Could Spread!
The E.Leclerc hypermarket in Templeuve-en-Pévèle (59242), in the Nord region, is experimenting with new devices that could change the game and reassure consumers eager to maintain control over their purchases. As shown by Olivier Dauvers in a video shared on social networks, the store has, in the coffee department, a device never seen before.
The customer can take a container (deposit) and clip it onto the machine that dispenses the selected ground or whole bean coffee, and most importantly, directly weigh the provided volume. This allows the consumer to see in real time the price they will pay and thus avoid any unwanted excess. The store also guarantees a bulk price 5% cheaper than buying the same coffee already packaged on the shelves.
This initiative currently only concerns a single coffee brand. However, it is highly likely, if the experience proves successful among consumers, that this type of device will be adopted by others and even by the large supermarket chains themselves.
