A zero-waste supermarket is set to open in Birmingham in 2018.
The Clean Kilo in Digbeth will offer goods with virtually no plastic packaging, meaning customers can bring their own reusable containers to fill with the products on sale.
Founder Tom Pell said he felt the city was the ideal location to launch such a business.
“Birmingham is in desperate need of this kind of thing,” he said.
“There’s a lot of people who have contacted me since I’ve started this, saying they have been waiting for something like this to come to Birmingham.”
Similar eco-friendly stores have already been launched in London and Manchester, but Tom said he felt his would still be unique.
“What I want to do is make it more accessible to everyone not just those who can afford to pay for organic produce,” he said. “I also want to make it as convenient as possible so people can drop off containers with their orders and pick it up at any time of day.”
Tom, who began his interest in environmental issues while at at university, has previously worked as a PhD chemist in a laboratory in Australia but decided to return to the UK to pursue a new career path.
“I decided that I still wanted to do something that was going to have a positive impact on the planet, but perhaps not in the chemical or academic sectors.
“This, along with a growing realisation of how much plastic waste is produced from domestic sources alone and no current way to solve it, led me to start working on this project.
“It’s a concept which I first observed all over Australia.”
For more details on Tom’s new business visit www.thecleankilo.co.uk.