5 Fabulous Eco-Friendly Concept Stores in Paris
At a time when consumers are increasingly aware about the need to respect the environment and concerned about how products are produced, eco-friendly concept stores are popping up all over Paris’s hip, trendy districts.
Sustainable shopping is becoming a veritable philosophy in the city, with a number of new and exciting earth-focused stores modernizing the retail experience for an enlightened public. Though it’s a lifestyle that comes at a certain price, eco-friendly shopping reveals buyers as both stylish and committed to a good cause in equal measure. Below, we spotlight five of our favorite Earth-friendly stores in Paris.
Welcome Bio Bazar
The moment one steps through the doors of this store one feels at home. Welcome Bio is designed like a “real” apartment in which every item has been meticulously selected for its ability to beautify and embellish daily life. Tabletop ornaments, decorative products, stationery, green house wares and clean cosmetics, indoor plants… time seems to slow down in each of the different spaces, as spending time at Le Bazar is wonderfully enjoyable. Organic household linen, zero-emission vegan cosmetics, eco-friendly children’s games, and bags made from recycled bottles are other such offerings.
With its carefully-selected range of products, Welcome Bio Bazar also promotes green ethics and values, with the store’s credo summed up in a single word: “slow”. Guests can try their hand at DIY activities by taking part in workshops, like learning how to sew in order to up-cycle your favorite clothes. Slow coffee and veggie-based snacks are also sold on site.
Welcome Bio Bazar is located at 13 rue Boulle, 75011 Paris.
Centre Commercial
This stylishly-designed concept store is hipster-heaven. Centre Commercial’s two founders– who were previously responsible for creating the fair-trade trainer brand Veja— saw the adoption of an ethical approach as the key defining concept in the modern retail experience. With 170 different men’s, women’s and lifestyle brands in stock, Centre Commercial offers a specialized range of products that are both aesthetically pleasing and ethically manufactured, all of which prioritize the use of French know-how and a commitment to protecting the environment. And because style is not the sole dominion of adults, the concept has been extended to the world of children’s products. The store’s new branch, Centre Commercial Kids, is designed for children age 14 and under.
Centre Commercial is located at 2 rue de Marseille, 75010 Paris. Centre Commercial Kids is located at 22 rue Yves Toudic, 75010 Paris.
Altermundi
If you want to both enjoy yourself and know you’re doing your part for the environment at the same time, pay a visit to one of Altermundi’s five Parisian stores. They offer a large range of sustainably- and ethically-produced clothing and various other personal items from all over the world. Knowing the identity of the supplier and being able to trace the products’ origins is part of the brand’s overall approach, and all profits are reinvested in projects of a social nature. Created as the result of an initiative by Groupe SOS— a French nonprofit specializing in social activism– Altermundi also provides work for disadvantaged and marginalized people. Put an end to those guilty pleasures: here is an excellent way to add real meaning to your Parisian shopping experience.
Altermundi has five locations at 5 boulevard du Temple, 75003 Paris; 71 rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin, 75010 Paris; 39 rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris; 135 rue Ordener, 75018 Paris; and Rampe Chatelet, quai de la mégisserie, 75001 Paris.
La Maison Zéro Déchet (The Zero Waste Home)
Located at the foot of Montmartre, La Maison Zéro Déchet (“The Zero Waste Home”) is a Parisian temple in the Battle Against Waste. In addition to it being a shop, it’s also a venue for conferences, screened talks, debates, training courses, and exhibitions dedicated to the circular economy. Bring your household electrical goods here to get them repaired; learn to make your own natural cosmetics; and there are even swap and trade events and sewing workshops to enable you to extend the life of old clothes. In short, from the book corner to the grocery section (which sells organic products in reusable packaging) everything that La Maison Zéro Déchet has to offer is designed to eliminate bad habits and turn shoppers into 100% green consumers. Worm composting kits, washable diapers, packaging-free solid shampoos, and jams made from unsold fruit are just some of our favorite items here. Make love, not waste.
La Maison Zéro Déchet is located at 3 rue Charles Nodier, 75018 Paris.
Hacea
Put an end to toxic products! To make the house a veritable natural cocoon once more, Hacea offers a range of products that are damaging to neither your health nor the environment. From the kitchen to the bathroom– including the bedroom and the garden– this not particularly well known store has everything you need to free your everyday environment from toxic chemicals: organic paint for decorating, sustainable accessories for the kitchen, natural cleaning products, natural home maintenance and gardening products, organic cosmetics, air purifiers, and various selections of water filters and cleaners. Our absolute must-have? Check out the custom manufactured organic mattresses made from natural rubber tree foam, which enable you to live the green life even in your dreams.
Hacea is located at 194 Rue d’Alésia, 75014 Paris.
