Unpackaged food and cleaning products
Zero waste – we can get by without packaging
No extra waste as a result of your shopping – that would be a dream scenario. We’re moving a little closer to turning this dream into reality: with ever more refill stations for unpackaged food and cleaning products.
Would you like to scoop pasta, rice or pulses into bags that you’ve brought with you? Or fill cleaning products into your own containers? This has already been possible at more than 50 Migros stores across Switzerland since 2020. And the aim is for more to follow. Because our goal is zero waste. In other words, we want to work together with our customers to ensure that as little packaging waste as possible is generated.
Zero waste = forgoing packaging
We firmly believe that the only way to achieve a clean future is by producing less waste. We therefore want to reduce waste, plastic and packaging wherever it’s possible and wherever it makes sense ecologically. Zero waste means forgoing packaging. But what does this mean in practice?
Unpackaged food
Our customers already have the option to fill their own bags with many organic foods, such as pasta, rice, muesli and pulses, in exactly the amount they want. Almost 90 different organic products, including pasta, lentils and raisins, can be obtained in the desired quantity at our refill stations and taken home.
How it works
Less waste, more refilling
In 2022, 2,187 kg of packaging material was saved. This equates to 356,385 standard packaging units.
In 2022, 8,489 kg of organic wholegrain oats was sold, which makes it the most sold item by far.
The second most sold item in 2022 was unpackaged organic cashew nuts, with 4,048 kg being purchased.
And 2,612 kg of organic Basmati rice was refilled in 2022.
Zero waste – also possible with cleaning products
In a few branches, you can already fill containers with detergent, washing-up liquid and cleaning products yourself and thus reuse packaging multiple times. Refilling bottles and containers instead of throwing them away protects the environment.
If you refill a reusable bottle on at least three occasions, it is already more environmentally friendly than if you were to use refill packs.
In addition to our growing recycling offering, we are also optimising our packaging on an ongoing basis and forgoing plastic wherever it makes sense ecologically. It is clear that for detergent, cleaning products and washing-up liquid, plastic remains the most environmentally friendly and safest form of packaging. Nevertheless, we also want to allow our customers to reduce their packaging waste in connection with these products and to enable them to reuse the materials. We can thus actively protect our environment and the climate together.
Play your part in tackling packaging
Zero waste can only really work if you get involved too. Our customers can now do their shopping in a very large number of branches across Switzerland with reusable solutions. For example, by using veggie bags in the fruit and vegetable department, reusable bowls in our Migros restaurants and their own reusable containers at the cheese and meat counter. Everyone can play a part in creating a more sustainable future.