Live sustainably and support locals with these zero-waste stores
Sustainability promotes quality care while reducing negative environmental impact, it requires a collective effort from the simple and most common routine to extensive parts of our lifestyles. There are zero-waste stores in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, that you should check for healthier and sustainable living.
Live sustainably and support locals with these zero-waste stores
These stores will help you choose from more options if you’re looking for a lot of shops anywhere in the Philippines. These will also help you start living sustainably and plastic-free.
LUZON
#1 Ritual
Ritual is a plastic bag-free store in Makati. They sell local, eco-friendly organic products as well as home essentials, books, and toys for kids. Local producers need our support, and we need their quality products. Because plastic is ugly, it leeches into your products and food, it clogs our waterways, and the carbon used to create them is totally not worth their function. So, you can come in, bring your own containers, fill them up with local goods, and chat for a bit.
#2 Alpas Pet Accessories
It’s not just us, people, who need to live sustainably, but also our pets and fur babies. Alpas Pet Accessories is a social enterprise offering products made with post-consumer materials, with their partner community in GK Smokey Mountain in Tondo, Manila.
#3 Rags2Riches
Located in Quezon City, Rags2Riches is a store that promotes sustainable living and Filipino artisans at the same time. They offer quality handicrafts like bags, totes, clothes, and everything in between.
We started doing this through partnering with artisans and transforming unwanted fabric into woven rugs, then into bags. Today, we are a fashion & design house empowering community artisans from the Philippines.
Rags2Riches
VISAYAS
#1 Wala Usik Store
Wala Usik Sari-Sari Store is a tiangge and cafe store in one, located in Bacolod City. It is an online store also for zero-waste, local and social enterprises, moving community produce, and preloved items.
#2 Amgu
From the Cebuano word, amgu means awareness; this store aims to provide eco-friendly and sustainable options for everyday use. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the owners decided to move their store to their own garage.
I always say to start small, that one single step matters. Assess your trash at home, what is it that consumes more plastic in your household and start with that. In my case, I am a slave for sachets — shampoo, coffee to name a few. I then started with shampoo and conditioner bars and eventually everything else follow
Ranji Madarang, one of the owners. From CDN Digital.
#3 Zero Waste Refilling Station
Located in Bogo City, Cebu, the Zero Waste Refilling Station provides home sanitation needs like disinfectants, dishwashing liquids, and bathroom cleaners. Apart from these, they also have paper bags, eco bags, and gift wraps.
MINDANAO
#1 Happy Earth Store
Happy Earth Store is the first zero-waste grocery store in Mindanao, it is located in Cagayan De Oro City. One of its advocacies is the aim to minimize plastic pollution.
On the world statistics having the Philippines as third largest contributor of plastic waste worldwide, we strongly believe the Filipinos’ optimism to make a change will make a difference to save this planet through awareness and discipline.
Happy Earth Store
#2 Croft Bulk Foods
True to its name, this store located in Davao City offers all-vegan products, a variety of grains, and toiletries in bulk. Of course, Croft Bulk Foods encourages customers to bring their own containers for packaging items.
And though for some, it sounds daunting and intimidating but in reality, it’s all about being mindful and having that conscious effort to do something for the planet — be it shopping in bulk or plastic-free, walking to work/school, reusing plastics, upcycling wastes or even as simple reusing rice water to water plants.
Croft Bulk Foods
#3 MNQ Handmade Cosmetics
Another store from Davao, MNQ Handmade Cosmetics sells and creates products using natural ingredients. This store offers bath & body essentials such as shampoo bars, solid conditioners, body scrubs, and lotions in their physical and online store.
