Refurbishments are underway at Ripple Living, Cardiff’s first zero waste store, as the community’s support continues to grow
Ripple Living is expanding next door and effectively tripling in size, just under a year since it first opened.
The zero-waste shop, situated on Albany Road, opened 11 months ago and is already working on increasing its floor plan to incorporate the unit adjacent to its current home.
“Next door has been empty for a few months, and thanks to the support of the community that has helped the store to thrive we have been able to invest on it,” said Sophie Rae, owner and founder of Ripple. “We will now focus on improving our product range, we’ll bring in fridges and freezers to store frozen foods, more ethical fashion and homeware.”
Ripple was welcomed in 2018 by huge love and support from the people of Cardiff who have been making small changes to their lives for a better future, joining in the ‘ripple effect’, the company’s initial slogan.
“We have brought a new consciousness to the city and we are changing the way people consume,” Sophie added. “People that come to Ripple realise that they don’t have to make massive changes to their lifestyles, but it’s actually lots of small changes that make the difference.”
A new report by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural affairs, published earlier this year, showed Wales has the best recycling rate in the U.K. and one of the best in the world.
Plans by the Welsh government to make Wales a zero-waste country by 2050 has also been inspiring people in Cardiff to embrace the ‘ripple effect’ and join in the fight against waste.
Sophie added that it was the consumers that demanded for plastic packaging decades ago and it is now up to them to demand unpackaged products.
She concluded, “if more people asked for change, I think they would listen.”