With locally sourced produce and vegan products, eco-friendly supermarkets are becoming more common across the country.
Words by Thomas McCann:
In recent years, food choices in supermarkets for those on vegetarian and vegan diets has increased dramatically. Even the takeaway chains are getting in on the act with vegan sausage rolls, pepperoni pizza and fried chicken. This supply has increased because it has to fit the demand, with more people questioning where their food comes from, and how it contributes to climate change. This is where sustainable shops come in.
These grocery shops are designed to take people back to basics, with locally sourced fruit, veg, meat and dairy, as well as eco-friendly vegan options. However, not all vegan options are eco-friendly. Granted, they contribute far less to climate change than the production of red meat and dairy, but there are vegan options that still generate a lot of carbon dioxide, due to a number of reasons.
Firstly, some of our imported vegetables, such as asparagus, take a large amount of land to be grown and cultivated, as well as a substantial water supply. Both cause a strain on other resources, especially in more impoverished countries. Then there are other products that are in high demand in the UK but cannot be grown here such as avocados, or even strawberries and blueberries at certain times of the year. These products have to be flown in, in large quantities, and this generates a lot of carbon dioxide. Therefore, even if you are on a vegan diet, shopping locally and sustainably is the best way to limit your carbon footprint.
The sustainability trend has also transcended food, with vegan tailors, jewellers and clothing brands.
Zero waste shops in Scotland are becoming all the range. Whilst most of these grocery stores are based in Glasgow and Edinburgh, they have expanded far beyond the central belt, in fact they can be found everywhere from the Isle of Skye to Dumfries.
Although zero waste is the goal of many of these operations, it is often difficult to achieve this, many shops settle for offering their customers the chance to significantly decrease their carbon footprint, as well as support investment which goes back into their local community.
One of these shops is Neighbourhood, who are based in Glasgow, and the shop’s owner, Rhona MacDonald, spoke about the struggles of running a store which produces zero waste.
“The main thing when we set up was the idea of it being a low waste shop...but from my perspective it’ll just never be zero waste.”
“It’s just basically about changing your shopping habits so that you’re not just shopping in a way that your reducing your waste but (also) thinking about buying local produce, and from an independent store as well.”
Over the last few years, more and more people have been turning to local organic produce. Even those who eat meat, which is the dietary choice that is most polluting, can reduce their carbon footprint by sourcing that meat from local farms or butchers.
Community projects such as Neighbourhood also put investment back into their local area, in order to keep their customers happy and their business a social hub.
“(we’re) Trying to build a community of people and re-focus people on their local community and their local economy and have an impact socially rather than just focusing on the environmental side of things.”
“We’ve tried putting more back into the community.”
What these shops have over the convenience of a supermarket chain, is that they create an economic circle of life for their area. Shop buys local goods, shop sell said goods to local people, shop and provider take profits to reinvest in new products and projects and then it all starts again. Perhaps it’s not quite that simple but that’s the idea. Consumers are given a diversity of products without making a significant carbon footprint and a shop with a witty name thrown into the bargain, such as Sea No Waste in Arbroath, Weigh Ahead in Dunblane and Green With Envi in Broxburn.
If people are curios as to how shopping locally is more beneficial, Rhona explained her reasons why people should opt to support businesses like hers.
“It’s about keeping things closer to home because then you can see the immediate impact you’re having, if people feel like they’re having an impact they’re more likely to act in a sustainable way.”
“Even if you take the environmentalism side of things out of it, why wouldn’t you want to choose to come to a local shop?”
“I can tell you that the people we’re buying from are paying the farmers fair trade prices...you’re supporting people’s income ad you’re supporting the Scottish economy.”
The cost of living crisis is leaving many people feeling uncertain about the most cost effective ways to spend their money. And with local products, an array of essential food items and community-orientated investment, sustainable, local shopping could be the answer. It may not always be the cheapest option, but it keeps the money moving around the local community.
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