Between unsustainability and regeneration, there lies a gap filled with moments like “the organic market is too far”, “I forgot my carrier bags at home” and “plastic-free veg are too expensive”. These are simple choices we’re faced with each day, where habit and convenience can override our good intention.
And it’s true. The organic market is too far away and somehow I only think about the carrier bag I had at home once I’m standing at the till. It’s not always easy to choose the sustainable option when it feels out of reach. And for that reason today we’re hopping on the badger!
The what, now?
The badger is TOPUP TRUCK’s mobile zero waste shop, and it was born from the idea of making plastic-free shopping as easy, convenient and affordable as going to the supermarket.
After working for a sustainable condiments company and exploring different forms of waste reduction, Founder of TOPUP TRUCK Ella Shone was struck by the amount of packaging waste within B2B supply chains: “it frustrated me how much the infrastructure of supply chains would have to change to eliminate this - feeling powerless as a small brand”. And it wasn’t until her job was put on furlough and she started delivering meals to vulnerable people as a volunteer that the idea for TOPUP TRUCK was born. And ever since, she has been working to “revolutionise the way we shop, putting sustainability and human connection at the core”.
“I found it immensely joyful and rewarding being more closely connected to my local community - and I had the idea to create something that is both community focussed and solves the packaging problem” - Ella Shone
The Future
When speaking to Ella about her vision for the future, not just of TOPUP TRUCK but also of the planet, we were captivated with her positive outlook towards human connection and community. She envisions a world in 10 years’ time where “society will undergo a psychological shift away from wastefulness and over-consumption towards resourcefulness, wherein we have a healthier relationship with ourselves, other people and the planet”.
We hope she is as certain as we are that it is thanks to changemakers like her, that we will see that become a reality.
TOPUP TRUCK is leading the way to empowering a regenerative economy where sustainable food options not only influence a positive impact on the planet, but also “support healthy eating in an independent and heavily social format”, uniting people, places and planet through purpose.
The Positive Compass
TOPUP TRUCK became a part of Positive with hopes to join a community of other changemakers all striving towards regeneration. But the value that they have provided to the community goes beyond joining a force.
Their huge commitment to “inspiring the change from wastefulness to resourcefulness” can only mean that TOPUP TRUCK is now an invaluable member of the regenerative movement, and they have an important lesson to teach us all about will-power, togetherness and drive. But the most important thing of all is that they are genuinely making a Positive impact, and we will soon be witnessing them lead the way to a new food system.
“We are seeking to pave the way for a new circular way of shopping which favours reuse over single use” - Ella Shone
TOPUP TRUCK’s values and commitments are perfectly in line with everything we stand for at Positive: “our main purpose is supoort our members become plastic free by 2030 and engage a wider audience in doing so”. They are bridging the gap between sustainability and regeneration and all the inconveniences that lie between them, and that keep us from making good and healthy choices everyday.