“The beauty is that it is not a revolutionary idea but an idea that works, and it works simply”

- Scoop UK

Scoop UK is a collection of zero-waste food stores across the country, run by students, for students. Originally founded by students in Cambridge in 2019, Scoop has since expanded to the universities of Durham, Leeds and UCL, and even overseas to Duke University in North Carolina. Scoop is non-profit and upholds its commitment to reducing food waste through selling non-perishable products without the use of plastic packaging. We spoke to Nina Stevens and Davide Bertone, presidents at Scoop Durham.

Nina and Davide set up Scoop Durham in March 2020 after hearing about the cause through friends at Cambridge. Since then, the team in Durham has grown to encompass almost 50 volunteers, with a central team of 11 students, and has managed to secure a permanent store location at Durham’s Riverwalk in the city centre.

Scoop is driven by three of the key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were highlighted by the team in their successful funding pitch to the Durham Social Enterprise Fund. Goal 3 promotes a ‘good health and well-being’, which Scoop ensures through the types of products they sell, which, aside from their yoghurt raisins and yoghurt banana chips, are fully vegan. Other products include oats, chia seeds and flaxseeds, to encourage higher consumption of healthy grains and an increased fibre intake, which has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and strokes. Goal 11 calls for ‘sustainable cities and communities’, through inspiring change at a local level. Scoop’s student-run model aims to create a strong community of volunteers, and gradually introduce more and more Scoop stores around the UK. Finally, Scoop works towards Goal 12 ‘responsible consumption and production’, encouraging consumers to think more carefully about the things that they buy and the negative impacts of many production cycles. Scoop aims to raise awareness of such issues through their social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook, and also ensures that all products are sourced organically and directly from wholesalers. Davide explained,

“It’s a global initiative with a local impact”

Davide Referred to the environmental problems which inspired Scoop,

“It is a start-up solution to a consumer frustration. 60% of plastic that we see in big supermarkets is non-recyclable, and people are unaware that it isn’t, they tend to assume that all plastic is. In fact, any soft plastic is currently non-recyclable. We were frustrated by the fact that these companies clearly have the capabilities to change if they wanted to do so, but avoid this because it is not financially profitable for them in the short term.”

In fact, Davide highlighted that most large supermarkets actually increased their use of non-recyclable plastic in 2019.

“Consumers are clearly calling for a reduction, and businesses are not responding. But I believe that in the next five years, we will see the big changes that are necessary”.

The aim is that by making small changes on a local level, and raising awareness through Scoop’s social media channels, will eventually force larger supermarkets to act. Nina explained,

“it makes you think, why hasn’t anyone thought of this sooner, and why haven’t large companies taken it into account? They have much higher profit margins, and much greater means to do what we do more efficiently. But they don’t. Scoop is not a cutting-edge idea. We are simply saying that if others are not willing to take this issue seriously, local community members can do it in a very simple manner.”

Scoop takes their community impact one step further, by donating all profits to one of three charities, with the customer being able to select their preferred charity at the checkout. Scoop Durham is currently supporting FareShare North East, RSACC and DASH. Nina explained,

“We chose charities specifically relating to issues in the North East exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, with important local impacts. Scoop goes beyond the environmental; it helps to uplift the community in lots of different ways.”

What are Scoop’s plans for the future?

The team want to expand their start-up across the country and internationally as much as possible, inspiring even greater change. Nina and Davide have created a 40-page business pack which can be sent to students at other universities interested in setting up their own Scoop branch.

“The strength we have in our movement,” says Davide, “is that we provide our own experience and you can go and do with it what you want, as long as you remain true to our ethos about bring affordable and community based.”

You can find Scoop Durham at Unit 44, The Riverwalk, Durham, For more information about other local branches visit their website at https://www.wearescoopuk.com/

This article stems from an interview with Nina Stevens and Davide Bertone, presidents at Scoop Durham.

By Lily Clarke and Amy Lee