In this supermarket there is a completely plastic-free department. It is the first in the UK

A supermarket in north London has "stripped" more than 1.700 products from plastic packaging.

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After the example of Amsterdam, London too is equipped with the first supermarket department completely free from plastic

Glass, metal or compostable material: the British are starting to do without plastic packaging and the first department of a plastic-free supermarket opens in North London. And there are those who hope that sooner or later the giant chains will follow suit.

The supermarket is Belsize Park's Thornton Budgens and what he has done is a truly epic mission: in the last 10 weeks he has "undressed" more than 1.700 products from plastic packaging, with the aim of bringing the store to be “virtually plastic-free” within three years.

In the aftermath of the British government's declarations of wanting to impose new taxes on plastic packaging that does not contain at least 30% recycled material and in the wake of the same experiment done in Amsterdam earlier this year, supporters of the initiative are convinced of one thing : this is one of the best ways to make people understand that it is possible to sell food in a more sustainable way, also “vegetables, cheese or game meat”.

For many products, for example, plastic packaging was replaced by paper bags made from cellulose, as well as for the shop's 300 different cheeses it was necessary to develop new wax packaging.

“/ We hope what we're doing here will challenge chains like Sainsbury's, Tesco's and others,” says Andrew Thornton, owner of the Budgens.

In this supermarket there is a completely plastic-free department. It is the first in the UK

Although sales initially dropped, Thornton Budgens firmly believe in a plastic-free sales policy: “It's the big brands that are like snails with their pace of change,” they say. But change, if only you want to see it, is just around the corner.