Background
Nada is a zero waste grocery store located in British Columbia, Canada whose mission is to “cultivate a better world by inspiring people to change the way they shop for groceries.”
With the growing population, there is an increased need for a better and more sustainable food system. In recent years, the handling and packaging of food has been a major topic in the news, primarily on single-use plastics. Although single-use plastics are convenient for food protection, the containers have a negative impact on the environment.
Zero waste stores, like Nada emphasize the elimination of packaging, but also promote a reduction in environmental impacts at every stage of the food system. Nada has the power to influence and educate consumers not only about packaging, but also on the food itself and how it is grown.
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With the impacts of health and safety regulation from COVID-19, the zero waste business model has had to adapt. Nada has shifted its business model to meet the growing need for home delivery and bulk shopping, and with it, the environmental impacts the new model brings. By providing Nada with a full carbon footprint for both the original business model and the new adapted versions, Nada can make decisions to reduce emissions under a variety of changing circumstances.
Objectives
This project will compare Nada Grocery’s carbon emissions and plastic waste production under a business as usual scenario to a variety of probable scenarios that could happen as a result of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic.
We hope to identify key areas in which carbon emissions and waste can be minimized while also optimizing cost-effectiveness.
The findings will allow us to quantify the impacts of COVID-19 on the zero waste movement and analyze how the movement can adapt to be resilient in a post-COVID world.
Significance
While the conventional food system provides food for most of the world’s population, it is not sustainable.
Almost 1/3 of all greenhouse gas emissions come from the food sector, coming from how the food is grown, food waste, or the packaging it comes in. The zero waste movement has been instrumental in the discussion around the flaws in our current food system. The movement has promoted the importance of where food is coming from and what it is being transported in. Zero waste grocery stores, like Nada Grocery, have worked to minimize excessive packaging and food waste from supplier to customer.
With COVID-19 causing drastic changes to all food retailers, stores like Nada have had to change dramatically. While COVID-19 has disrupted Nada’s original business model, there is now an opportunity to see where the biggest impacts can be made in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for a grocery store. This project will allow Nada to find where their biggest emissions are coming from and how they can achieve a carbon-neutral goal.