In August 2019, Butterfly Effect was the first zero waste shop to open in North-east Scotland in Insch and its success has led to the opening of a second shop in Banchory which opened in May earlier this year. The ethos of the business is to provide a platform for customers to shop sustainably. They now have over 50 local stockists represented on their shelves supporting the local economy. The shop aims to be plastic free encouraging reuse of containers that are already in circulation. They provide a range of refillable household, bathroom and hair care products and sustainable household and personal cleaning items.
They have helped establish a support group for other zero waste shops that have opened in the region enabling bulk ordering as a ‘cooperative’ which massively reduces their carbon footprint.
They actively work with their suppliers and stockists to look for the most sustainable packaging solutions and seek to educate both their suppliers and customers on issues such as the difference between home and industrial composting. They support workshops and events to educate people about recycling and that this must now be the last resort behind reusing, reducing and food waste.
Lauren the founder and owner is passionate about driving sustainable change. “The reason for the name ‘Butterfly Effect’ – chaos theory – is small shifts in your thinking, and small changes in your energy, can lead to massive alterations of the end result.”
To find out more visit the company's Facebook profile here.