Zero-waste stores increasingly popular across Slovenia
Ljubljana, 28 November - Slovenia seems to be right on trend in zero-waste retail, as stores selling environmentally-friendly products in reusable packaging have been popping up across the country in the past year. Since the first zero-waste store opened in Ljubljana's Šiška borough in January, three more have been launched in Maribor, Krško and Ljubljana.
Maribor
Zero-waste retail store Zelena Japka is relaunched in Maribor.
Photo: Andreja Seršen Dobaj/STA
The owners of Rifuzl, the first zero-waste store in the country, are happy with business and are even planning to launch a delivery service, as many people come to shop there from other parts of the country.
Meanwhile, Ljubljana got a second zero-waste store on Wednesday. Natura was launched under the brand I Shop Responsibly and is the third zero-waste store launched under the brand started by the Association Social Economy Slovenia.
The first store of this brand, Zelena Japka (Green Apple) was launched in May at Mala Tržnica, a market place across the street from the Maribor train station. In October, an arsonist completely destroyed the store, which opened today again in new premises within the same market place.
The Association Social Economy has been busy in the past months. Not only did it relaunch the store in Maribor and opened the new one in Ljubljana, the association also opened a store in Krško, in the south-east.
"We don't provide bags, we don't create waste and we encourage others to do the same," Miro Mihec of the association said at the opening in Ljubljana yesterday.
The premises on Gosposvetska Street are being rented out by a cooperative of a dozen social businesses from all parts of the country whose products are not packaged in plastics, have not been tested on animals, include no leather products and contain no GMO.
The store features natural cosmetics, organic cleaning products, recycled textile products, wooden and metal products and local foods. Interestingly, the store also sells showing machines so as to encourage the reuse of old textile.