Having just hit their one-month milestone, a new, eco-friendly refill shop opened up on the Northfields high-street called Earthical.
Earthical is a small business run by Michael Moody and Chloe Jeatt, who were keen to speak about their inspirations for the shop, and the impact they want to see it have in the future. Chloe and Michael are Northfields-based, and have seen the high street change a lot in their time, but particularly value the community feel of the area. On the opening Saturday, it was clear to see what they meant. Families were coming in and out, buying ingredients for something to bake; passers by taking an interest in this new, shiny addition to their regular route; and people wanting to shop locally, excited about the prospect of a new way to reduce their impact on the planet.
This was the inspiration for Chloe and Michael. “We first visited a refill shop a few years ago and absolutely loved the experience. It was eye-opening to see so many products on offer with such little packaging and it’s stayed front of mind ever since. Any time we’ve wanted to shop this way, we’ve had to travel quite far away and we always thought a refill shop could do so well in Northfields.” They came up with the idea for Earthical a year ago, and, in the last 3 months - with the support of Grish, another local small business owner nearby - they have worked hard to bring Earthical to life; juggling full-time jobs, and raising a two-year old, as well as the small matter of starting a business. As well as being environmental, one of their goals is for customers to cut down on food waste, given that we are living in ‘unbelievably hard times', and that 'customers are really having to think about what they are buying'. The flexibility of choosing and filling your own quantities, rather than predetermined masses, not only cuts down on plastic and wasted food, but potentially how much you spend as well, as you 'won’t have to buy as much, and can instead focus on what you need; so less food will go out of date sitting in the back of your cupboard. To them, sustainability means creating and living a lifestyle that future generations can enjoy and for their daughter to be able to grow up in a world that she’s proud of.
Climate change is scary - especially now, when people are struggling to make ends meet, let alone consider their impact on our planet. This is at the forefront of their minds, and they recognise that it can be 'really overwhelming' to know where to start, but hopefully small changes to your daily routine (like going to a local refill shop to buy lentils instead of a supermarket) can help to reduce your carbon footprint. Their motto for their sustainability is 'progress, not perfection', as it is becoming increasingly hard to be 100% sustainable, but they believe that it’s worth the effort, and every small step taken will make a big difference when put together. Their fresh produce is seasonal and from Britain, and they put emphasis on having 'closed-loop suppliers' to reduce waste as much as possible, as well as the lack of packaging, as people can bring their own containers to get their shopping. As well as food, Earthical stocks other household items as well, such as hand soaps and shampoos, making it as easy as possible to refill everyday things you might need around the house, without the need for the plastic packaging you would find at the shops.
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