A new zero-waste shop is opening today (Monday 2 March) at the University offering a range of goods that are completely free from single-use plastic packaging.

Portland Zero is a permanent addition to the retail outlets in the Portland building and is opening its doors at the start of the University’s Sustainability Week (2 – 7 March) and will stock a huge variety of products from nuts, cereals, grains and oils to eco -friendly cleaning products and toiletries, all of which are free from plastic packaging.

Research carried out by the Students’ Union which surveyed 1,500 students showed that sustainability was one of the most important issues to students and 82% would be willing to change their shopping habits to be more sustainable.

Changing shopping habits
Portland Zero has been set up by Lee Taylor, Environmental and Social Justice Officer at the Students’ Union. 21-year-old Lee is a Nottingham local and was a previous director of the successful Foodprint shop in Nottingham.

The new shop has been part-funded by money raised through the university’s latte levy scheme which put an extra 20p onto every drink purchased in a disposable cup, in a bid to encourage the use of reusable cups. The latte levy helped to save over 75,000 cups and raised over £60,000 in 2018/19 which is being reinvested into interventions to reduce waste.

The new Portlandzero shop will stock a wide range of wholefoods that will be sold by weight, so customers can buy as much or as little as they need and can use their own container, pick up a recyclable paper bag, or invest in a reusable jar or lunchbox from the wide range on offer in the shop.

There’s also a refill station where people can fill up bottles with liquid products including oils and vinegars.

Cheaper and better for the environment, refilling is a great alternative to buying a new plastic bottle every time you run out of these items.

Sustainability Week is a week-long celebration of all things sustainability, from the environment to health and wellbeing to social justice to equality. Incorporating events for Fairtrade Fortnight, University Mental Health Day, and International Women’s Day, Sustainability Week covers all aspects of sustainability as defined by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

There are over 70 events planned, including a sustainable fashion show and the sustainability awards.

Details of all the events can be found here.

Read more about the launch of Portland Zero