Whispers about waste-free systems have been circling conversations about corporate responsibility for the last few years – but 2019 may just be the year we see change. Already, several huge brands like Proctor & Gamble, Unilever and Nestle are repackaging food and grocery items from toothbrushes to ice cream – in reusable containers. These packages will be ordered from the retailers’ e-commerce sites, but in-store purchases are expected to follow shortly after.

But it’s not just behemoths in the industry who are committed to waste-free ideals. Nada Grocery is a carefully designed supply chain who boasts “we’re just food, no packaging.” This up and coming company sells hundreds of food products without single-use packaging, delivering their goods in large barrels and vats you can buy in any amount. Customers bring their own reusable containers – or pick and choose from bins of free miscellaneous containers donated to the store. And Nada isn’t the only store of its kind.

Unboxed Market is Toronto’s very first zero-waste grocery store, which runs much the same as Nada. It’s set to open this year. 

Loblaw Companies and Walmart have also publicly committed to reducing single-use plastic, synthetic microbeads in their labels, and eliminating “hard to recycle” products. 

McLaughlin, chief sustainability officer for Walmart says “This is real action… we are trying to change the way that people produce and consume products.” CJR Wholesale is committed to working with partners in order to reduce waste in the food distribution ecosystem.  In an increasingly environmentally-conscious social economy, moves like these are just the beginning.