BROOKLYN SHOP HELPS NEW YORKERS WASTE LESS WHILE SHOPPING

One of the biggest touchpoints for people’s own environmental footprint is the waste they generate on a daily basis. People tend to be very aware of their waste as they spend all day opening packaging and containers and then almost immediately putting it in the trash or recycling. A Brooklyn store is now helping people to minimize their packaging waste.

Maison Jar is a refillery and low-waste grocery store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The store is a one-stop shop for food, home essentials, and personal care items – all without unnecessary packaging. Maison Jar sells their products all by measure.

Whether sampling something new, buying for a single meal, or stocking up for the season, customers can pick the quantity of a product as they need it. Their offerings include produce, fresh bread, dairy and vegan cheeses, pasta, coffees, teas, spices, detergents, soaps, shampoos, and much more. Customers at Maison Jar are encouraged to shop with their own containers. However, the store offers low-waste options like recycled brown paper bags and free donated jars.

The team at Maison Jar works closely with producers to offer carefully selected and responsibly sourced products, emphasizing local and organic options. Maison

Jar also prioritizes working with producers that deliver through a closed-loop system. Under this system, Maison Jar receives a product in a reusable container. After use, the container is returned to the producer for cleaning and reuse. This results in no waste between Maison Jar and the producer. Maison Jar currently operates with 19 producers under a closed-loop system and is actively working to convert more relationships to closed-loop.

To further demonstrate its commitment to low-waste, Maison Jar is completing a zero-waste certification with Green Business Certification Inc., called TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) certification.

This certification rates how well the business minimizes its waste and uses resources efficiently.

“The team at Maison Jar believes that small habits make a big difference,” says Larasati Vitoux, owner and founder of the store. “By providing a guiding hand to customers in shopping more consciously for food and everyday products, we hope to inspire people to naturally change other habits and aspects of their lives to be more eco-friendly.”

You can connect with Maison Jar in person at their exhibitor booth at the Earth Day 2024 Festival in Union Square on Sunday, April 14.