Did you watch Blue Planet 2 in despair at how much plastic there is in the ocean? And just think of the discarded packaging strewn on the streets of Edinburgh?
Bambú Living Sustainably is a small Edinburgh based startup which aims to raise awareness of the excessive use of plastic and plastic packaging in our daily modern lifestyle.
They offer an alternative option for people to buy food and everyday household products without plastic packaging. By encouraging people to re-use existing or donated containers whenever possible, they believe that together we can make a difference and leave a cleaner, more sustainable planet for the future.
Owner Simona Zhou began by producing healthy snacks such as nuts, dried fruit, and seeds which are packaged in re-useable glass jars. Simone said : “As we grow organically, we aim to introduce more products gradually upon demand and request from the customers in the future.”
A number of products have already been added to the range including washing up liquid refills, Friendly shampoo, soap and shaving bars, drawstring cloth bags for fruit and vegetables, unpackaged organic pasta, organic spaghetti, rice, organic pulses (chickpeas, lentils), organic sunflower oil refills.
Bambú Living Sustainably has a regular stall at the Sunday Vegan market at Beetroot Sauvage (formerly Earthy foods at Newington) and is hoping to become a regular at Leith walk Police Box on Saturdays. Go and check them out. Just remember to BYOC (Bring your own containers).
Simona Zhou was inspired to start Bambú (Living Sustainably). Here she tells us why…
After leaving a stressful job in clinical research, I had significantly more time on my hands, which gave me the opportunity to read and browse the internet a lot more. During which time I found out the excessive amount of plastic that we as a modern society use and consume everyday. In the UK, supermarkets alone produce approximately 1 million tons of plastic every year, this accounts for a quarter of all plastic waste in the country. Although I have always taken the initiative to recycle whenever the facilities were made available since I lived in UK, it actually never occurred to me until earlier this year that the rate we generate waste is not sustainable and it’s a huge problem.
I have studied and worked in the scientific field for a large part of my life, and I have always had a major interest in healthcare. So I understand the negative impact that a polluted planet could have on the environment, wildlife and human healthcare. Ultimately, a WASTED planet affects everyone’s health and it will only get worse if we don’t step up and do something about it.
After contemplating on what to do next with my career, I eventually decided to become more active in raising awareness of the plastic problem and embarked on the journey of setting up my own company with the ambitious aim to make a positive impact on the environment, healthcare and community by providing wholesome foods with less plastic and packaging.
This is how the star up Bambú (Living Sustainably) was founded by myself earlier this year (2018) with the help of my husband. Coming from a multi-cultural background of having lived in China, Italy and now in the UK for the past 18 years, food has always played a big part in my family and life, no matter where in the world I lived. This is why I believe that food can be the universal language that connects people and tightens community bonds.
Through Bambú Living Sustainably, I believe not only we can help raise awareness of excessive plastic use, but also offer an alternative option for people to buy a combination of healthy, organic and local products in bulk and package-free. To reduce single use plastic and packaging in our food and everyday household products to live a more sustainable life, so we can leave a cleaner and healthier planet for the future.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
