Sustainable Haus Mercantile, in Summit, N.J., is a small store with a big mission. It is trying to gently persuade every customer who walks through its door, or visits its website, to change their consumption habits, one shampoo bottle, one laundry detergent jug, one roll of paper towels, at a time. The store, which opened in early 2020, is one of a growing number of plastic-free, package-free, and zero-waste stores springing up to address the billions of tons of waste generated by the most common retail purchases.
It’s a movement that has made inroads into mainstream merchants. Target in June announced a sustainability strategy, vowing to be the market leader for sustainable brands by 2030. It embraced Plastic-Free July, with store displays featuring brands like Stojo, which makes sustainable alternatives to the disposable coffee cup, and other single-use food and beverage containers.
A search for plastic-free on Amazon yields over 20,000 results, from reusable food wraps to bio-degradable hair ties. Online retailers like Grove Collaborative heavily promoted Plastic-Free July on social media this month, enlisting influencers and celebrities to go plastic-free for a day or more.
But Sustainable Haus Mercantile, and its owner, Janette Spiezio, take sustainability to the next level. Spiezio makes many of the products sold in her store, including laundry detergent, soaps, various cleaning products, and reusable replacements for napkins and paper towels, eliminating the environmental impact of shipping associated with ordering those products from a wholesaler. Her local customers like knowing they can walk to her store to refill their reusable shampoo, sunscreen, or detergent bottles and keep their money in the local economy.