About us
As Portsmouth’s first plastic-free supermarket we would like to say ‘hello’!
We love our planet and our community and we want to introduce you guys to live in harmony together.
Founded by Delphine Laveyne from ‘Zero Waste Portsmouth’, our team of dedicated volunteers are working tirelessly to help our local community reduce their single-use plastic consumption and live more sustainably.
Since September 2018, the Package Free Larder's committee has been working together to make our ideas a reality. We had an initial launch event in March 2019 to our Crowdfunding campaign during June to August 2019. Thanks to the generosity of 905 supporters, we raised an incredible £43,765 making our shop a reality!
We want everyone to feel welcome, whether you’re trying the plastic-free lifestyle for the first time or are a seasoned environmentalist. There will be no judgement here, only encouragement!
What we're all about
Affordable: It is a common misconception that going package free is expensive, and although there are products that cost more upfront, they usually work out cheaper in the long term! We believe in building an all-inclusive community, and that means involving everyone from all backgrounds!
Power back to the consumer: With materials like plastic already in our food-chain we really need to change how we consume products. We offer plastic-free alternatives to many foods and other household products, which are not only better for our planet, but for your body too! If you want to learn more about why you should swap check out our blog!
Friendly: We want everyone to feel included in our mission. If you are just starting out on your journey to producing less waste, then we are here to help! Equally, if you are already on that journey then we would love to make it easier with our package free products!
A Community Interest Company putting people and the planet before profit...
Our store is run by the community for the community and as a not-for-profit social enterprise, all profits will be reinvested into the shop and local projects aiming to better Portsmouth & Southsea communities.
... set up and run by a team of dedicated volunteers...
We wouldn’t be there without our fabulous volunteers, who have donated countless hours to set-up and run our shop. And it is through our volunteers and customers that we hope to become a community hub, where we can all embark on an adventure to sustainability together.
... helping our customers reduce their plastic intake
In the 2018/2019 financial year the recycling rate in the UK was only 25.5%, with Portsmouth ranking the 14th worst city in the UK for recycling rates nationally. With figures like this, it is clear that more shops focusing on zero packaging are needed. Plastic is one of the worst for recycling, with only 46.2% being recovered and recycled in 2017, the second lowest to wood. If we were able to cut plastic from our lifestyles it would mean one less commodity to recycle! Shockingly, 221 million tonnes of UK waste was generated in 2016, with 12.7 % coming from household or similar waste. The moon only weighs an estimated 73.5 million tonnes, meaning that the UK threw away 3x the weight of the moon in just one year!
As a Community Interest Company (CIC), we held an Annual General Meeting to which we invite our volunteers, customers and local community. and activities with our volunteers, customers and local community. If you missed our AGM and want to know what we've been up to, click on the link below to access the presentation.
A big thanks to the Community Accelerator!
Community Accelerator helped get our idea of The Package Free Larder off the ground and without them we wouldn't be where we are today!
"We are a small group of people committed to inclusivity and social justice, respecting resource limits and creating resilience in our community"
The group supports local projects, here in Portsmouth, who are seeking environmental, social and economic justice for some of the challenges of our times.