A plastic-free Battersea store specializing in dry goods has expanded its range of environmentally friendly toiletries, to keep customers and the planet smelling sweet.
Source Bulk Foods on St John’s Road sells everything from body wash to toothpaste with all the products coming in recyclable packaging or sold loose so patrons can fill their own containers.
It is the second branch that Australian couple Makayla Drummond, 39, and Patrick Cermak, 36, opened in 2018, and Ms Drummond said they bought responsibly sourced and locally made products wherever possible.
“We choose companies that do their personal care products in paper or wood. All of the soaps, conditioners and body washes are usually made here and made without harsh chemicals or substances that are bad for the environment,” she said.
As well as toiletries like soap and bath salts, the store also sells zero-waste bathroom accessories such as bamboo toothbrushes, washable cotton make-up remover pads and steel razors.
National charity Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimates that the UK consumes approximately 5 million tonnes of plastic annually with a large portion of this going to landfill and contributing to the Earth’s ‘plastic soup’ situation, which is the toxic pollution of the ocean by plastic items and fragments.
By selling their good without unnecessary packaging, Source Bulk Foods offers more ethical self-care options, and their low carbon footprint focus also means they are supporting local businesses, such as Bramley, their organic body lotion producer.
Ms Drummond said: “Getting UK suppliers excited about this idea has been part of the fun of creating this store, because they see the opportunity in it and they see the amount of waste they create, so I think the opportunity for them has been really rewarding.”
Much like the dry goods dispensary, where customers can help themselves to their desired amount of coconut flour, acai powder or coffee, many of the self-care products are in fact a return to bygone days with traditional products like toothpaste tablets and shampoo bars.
Source Bulk Foods plan to open stores across the country in the future and start stocking ingredients like shea butter for people to make their own make-up.
But for now Ms Drummond said they were focused on meeting the zero-waste needs of their growing Battersea clientele.
