Zero-waste, sustainable living, ethical buying, going green; the list is endless when it comes to buzzwords surrounding the sustainability movement.

But what does it all mean, how does it affect our communities and what can we do to support local businesses that are advocates of conscious living?

People living a zero-waste lifestyle strive to use as little single-use plastic as possible, instead opting for sustainable and reusable alternatives. Those who get into the lifestyle work to steadily replace everything from food packaging to hygiene products to clothing with more sustainable, plastic-free alternatives.

In Sussex, one company is doing just that.

Behind the all-new ethical company, Roots & Hoots, are Shiv Misra, founder and owner of the successful vegan and organic supermarket, Kindly of Brighton, and Ram Krishnan, who runs a successful tech startup innovating food waste recycling systems.

Roots & Hoots provides zero-waste deliveries for the same price as supermarkets and, newly launched across Sussex this year, is fast expanding, adding Brighton, Worthing, Arundel, Chichester, Eastbourne, Shoreham-by-sea, Horsham, Burgess Hill, Hastings, and more to its evergrowing list of locales.

Plastic-free and entirely vegan, the online-only store offers cost-effective access to zero waste deliveries, stocking a wide range of refillable groceries, bathroom and beauty products, plastic-free alternatives and hundreds of everyday items.

They operate a closed loop, with all packaging collected once the customer is ready, deep cleaned, and reused on further orders.

Among a few customer favourites are chocolate buttons, refillable minor figures oat milk in classic milk jars, ‘Faith in Nature’ bathroom products and the aptly named ‘Who gives a crap!’ loo roll.

Co-Founder Shiv Misra says shifting our thought process away from recyclable products, to an entirely zero-waste and reusable future, is the way forward; as an official sponsor of Big Blue Ocean Cleanup, an international network of beach cleaning and education programmes, Roots & Hoots are making their mark in the zero-waste sphere, far beyond their own business and customers.

We asked Shiv about his company, its ethos, and what he has learnt so far about the value of ethical produce.

SM: At what point in your trajectory of starting up Roots & Hoots did you sit up and think "I need to go zero-waste”?

“I wanted to run a sustainable business and liked the concept of a zero-waste shop without any packaging and pollution. But, I also realised that not many people shop at zero-waste stores, as it’s not convenient. No one likes carrying all those heavy bags! Some people were anxious about using the refill system too. With this knowledge in mind, I wanted to start an online zero-waste shop where the items will be delivered in reusable bags to their houses directly, and there will be various solutions available for customers, to help them make the right choice and take on individual responsibility.”

SM: How do you think Roots & Hoots is instrumental in keeping the environment healthy?

“When 11% of the UK’s recycling is incinerated, switching to a reusable mindset is an obvious must. It’s up to all of us, as industry leaders, to fight the myth that zero-waste shopping is both an inaccessible and expensive switch. If we truly believe that the time for change is now, which is indisputable, then we must shift the general consumer mindset. Leading a zero-waste lifestyle is the way forward - and it's easier than we've been led to believe.”

SM: Shiv, tell us a little about how to make the switch to zero-waste?

“Start small and be consistent. Find one product that you can swap for a zero-waste product and you will see that it's not too difficult. There are many small businesses that are making life convenient now for such swaps so give it a try, I don’t think you will regret it!”

SM: But, realistically, how easy is it to make that change?

“Four or five years ago I would have said it was somewhat inconvenient, but along with deep awareness of the cause (thanks to documentaries like ‘Minimalsim’ and ‘A plastic ocean’), businesses focus on sustainability more often than not. It’s becoming much easier and more straightforward. We have to change the way we live if we want our future generations to experience the same things that we did - change is needed from today. I feel so passionately that we must take on the responsibility as individuals.”

SM: Can you point our readers in the right direction when it comes to useful resources on zero-waste and understanding how it works and why it plays a crucial role in protecting the environment?

“Along my journey, I have found these websites really useful: http://practicallyzerowaste.ca/, https://zerowastecountdown.com/, https://www.goingzerowaste.com/, https://pebblemag.com/magazine.

I hope you do too!”

Roots & Hoots are now delivering locations across Sussex.

Visit Roots & Hoots at www.rootsandhoots.com and catch up with all things plastic-free on their instagram.