Liverpool Retailers & Sustainability Experts - Circular Retail Scene

Loads of things going on in my working world at the moment, events and content etc, but here's a little snapshot of some of the circular-thinking/planet-conscious retail businesses I spotted on a recent trip to #Liverpool. I've always loved the city and what it has to offer (up the Reds 🔴) but I'm considering a bit of a deepdive into the city's retail scene and its focus on sustainability. Drop me a line if you've got a contribution or some ideas of things to explore. Here are a few things I do know, for starters. For the last two years, Liverpool ONE has had a Mobile Segregation Unit (MSU), courtesy of The Green Block which aims to boost recycling rates at the shopping and leisure hub. The aim of the MSU deployment was to sort waste into 15 individual waste streams, making it easier to recycle more material. There's a digital waste tracking element to it all too. Didn't get to see that myself last week but, in terms of other sustainability/circularity plays, I did visit the colourful LUSH flagship in Church St, complete with its well marketed Bring it Back packaging recycling concept and mandate of "leaving the world lusher than we found it". It's the biggest Lush store in the world to boot. Sostrene Grene opened its doors in Liverpool's Bold St in October 2023, and continues to highlight strong environmental welfare credentials via in-store messaging and customer communication. Just along the way, there's also Resurrection Bold St Liverpool, a long-time go-to place for multiple partner fashion brands as well as a host of vintage, preloved, and upcycled gear. Bold Street is also home to one of only two Shared Earth UK Limited stores in the UK (the other one and original site is in York). Its roots are steeped in ethical trading and addressing social and environmental issues, and it was good to see the hustle and bustle inside. The site started offering customers the option to refill their own packaging (with shampoo, washing-up liquid etc) long before it became more widely popular for retailers to do so.