Innovation

Tingi Station, founded by Ms. Elke Kayle Cadangen in January 2022, is a visionary zero-waste grocery refill station based in Baguio City, Philippines. Driven by the desire to make sustainable shopping accessible and affordable, Tingi Station offers a unique and innovative solution to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and create a better world. The core concept revolves around providing customers with the opportunity to refill their containers with the exact quantity of household and personal products they need. By eliminating single-use packaging, Tingi Station empowers individuals to reduce waste and adopt a zero-waste lifestyle, contributing to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and promoting environmentally conscious habits.

In pursuit of its vision, Tingi Station actively engages with the community, organizing educational initiatives and participating in zero-waste campaigns. By partnering with local government units (LGUs) and collaborating with NGOs, Tingi Station fosters community involvement and promotes awareness about waste reduction practices. This proactive approach aligns with SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), as Tingi Station collaborates with stakeholders to collectively work towards a greener and more sustainable future.

Tingi Station's innovative solution also addresses SDG 13 (Climate Action). By encouraging customers to reuse containers and minimize packaging waste, the store significantly reduces its carbon footprint and supports a more environmentally friendly approach to consumption. Moreover, Tingi Station sources products from local suppliers who share their commitment to sustainability, promoting responsible production and consumption practices within the community.

In summary, Tingi Station's innovative approach to providing refillable products in small quantities contributes to a more sustainable world by tackling waste generation, promoting responsible consumption, and fostering community engagement. Through their visionary initiatives, Tingi Station exemplifies the potential of businesses in shaping a greener future, demonstrating how innovative solutions can align with UN SDGs to create positive change for our planet.

Inspiration

Tingi Station emerged as a result of the founders' deep-rooted passion for sustainability and their aspiration to make a meaningful difference in their community. The inspiration behind Tingi Station's zero-waste grocery refill concept can be traced back to the sustainable practices their mother instilled in them from a young age. Growing up, they witnessed firsthand the value of reusing and recycling waste as their mother used food waste as fertilizer, and repurposed containers, and advocated for eco-friendly shopping habits.

From Ms. Elke’s own word, “For her [their mother], every waste has a potential to be reused again. She using food waste as fertilizer, keep and reuse containers and use eco bags during shopping. When we were still young, we thought she is just a hoarder but as we grow up, we understand more the reason behind her lifestyle.”

The founders' motivation to establish Tingi Station was further fueled by the environmental challenges faced by Baguio City. The city's limited waste management infrastructure and the exorbitant costs associated with waste transfer highlighted the urgent need for innovative solutions. Recognizing the detrimental impact of excessive waste generation on the local community and environment, the founders embarked on a mission to create a platform that would not only offer sustainable shopping options but also educate and inspire the community to embrace waste reduction practices.

Overall impact

Tingi Station's innovative zero-waste grocery refill concept has generated both short-term and long-term effects, making a substantial impact on waste reduction and promoting sustainable practices. Since its inception, Tingi Station has already saved an impressive 10,000 containers from becoming waste, providing concrete evidence of its contribution to reducing packaging waste and landfill accumulation.

By introducing the zero-waste grocery refill concept, Tingi Station aims to alleviate the burden on the local government, which spends significant resources on waste management. Through its sustainable approach, Tingi Station envisions reducing waste generation, minimizing the city's ecological footprint, and promoting responsible consumption habits. By providing affordable and accessible refillable products, Tingi Station empowers individuals to make conscious choices that contribute to a greener future.

The founders' personal experiences and their dedication to creating a positive environmental impact have been instrumental in shaping Tingi Station's vision and driving its innovative approach. Their unwavering commitment to sustainability and waste reduction continues to inspire the community and ignite positive change in Baguio City and beyond. In terms of long-term effects, Tingi Station's emphasis on container reuse is a significant aspect of their innovation. By actively promoting the return and reuse of delivery containers, Tingi Station extends its commitment to waste reduction beyond the boundaries of its store. This practice not only reduces packaging waste but also encourages a culture of resource conservation and circular economy principles.

Business benefit

Tingi Station's innovative zero-waste grocery refill concept has generates both short-term and long-term effects, making a substantial impact on waste reduction and promoting sustainable practices. Since its inception in January 2022, Tingi Station has already saved an impressive 10,000 containers from becoming waste, providing concrete evidence of its contribution to reducing packaging waste and landfill accumulation.

The establishment of partnerships with small-scale local suppliers is another noteworthy short-term effect of Tingi Station's innovation. By collaborating with suppliers who share their vision of waste reduction, Tingi Station reinforces its commitment to promoting sustainable practices throughout the supply chain. These partnerships enable Tingi Station to take a proactive role in eliminating unnecessary packaging for the items ordered, ensuring that products are delivered with minimal waste.

As per Ms. Elke, “We partner with small scale local suppliers. We also arranged with them to remove the individual packing in the items ordered our store and the containers used to deliver the product was also returned to suppliers to be used in our next order. We are driving the awareness to reduce waste not just with the consumers but also with our engagement with our suppliers.”

In terms of long-term effects, Tingi Station's emphasis on container reuse is a significant aspect of their innovation. By actively promoting the return and reuse of delivery containers, Tingi Station extends its commitment to waste reduction beyond the boundaries of its store. This practice not only reduces packaging waste but also encourages a culture of resource conservation and circular economy principles.

To ensure the quality and safety of the refillable products, Tingi Station maintains strict protocols. The store takes measures to ensure that all containers are well sealed, guaranteeing the freshness and integrity of the products. Additionally, Tingi Station prioritizes store cleanliness, implementing regular cleaning routines to maintain a hygienic and pleasant shopping environment for customers.

The tangible results achieved by Tingi Station, such as the significant number of containers saved and the establishment of partnerships for waste reduction, serve as compelling evidence of its impact on waste reduction and sustainability. These outcomes highlight the effectiveness of Tingi Station's innovative approach and demonstrate its dedication to creating a positive environmental footprint.

By continually implementing and refining their innovative practices, Tingi Station is positioned to have a lasting impact on waste reduction, promoting a culture of sustainability, and inspiring others to embrace zero-waste lifestyles.

Social and environmental benefit

Tingi Station's zero-waste grocery refill station brings significant benefits to both society and the environment, aligning with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fostering a more sustainable future. By promoting responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), Tingi Station actively reduces waste and minimizes unnecessary packaging. Through their innovative refill system, they empower individuals to make conscious choices, leading to a substantial reduction in waste generation and contributing to a greener planet.

The environmental benefits of Tingi Station's approach extend to addressing climate action (SDG 13). By significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production and disposal of single-use packaging, Tingi Station directly mitigates its carbon footprint. Moreover, their emphasis on minimizing resource-intensive production processes aligns with SDG 12, contributing to more sustainable patterns of consumption and production.

In addition to the environmental impact, Tingi Station creates social benefits by enabling accessible and affordable sustainable shopping. Their model empowers individuals from various socioeconomic backgrounds, including students and those with limited budgets, to embrace a zero-waste lifestyle. By providing small quantities of refillable products at affordable prices, Tingi Station not only encourages responsible consumption but also enables individuals to make sustainable choices within their means, promoting social equity and inclusion.

As mentioned by Ms. Elke, “Usually, students appreciate the concept of our refilling store because they have limited budget. By buying per gram, they can buy more items based on what they need for the week. In typical grocery stores, with their [student customers] limited budget, they will be forced to buy 1 bottle even or whole pouch even though they do not need everything for the week. As a result it will drain their allowance without being able to complete all the ingredients or items they need for the week. By buying per gram, they can budget their allowance more effectively and be able to get by for the week.”

Tingi Station's commitment to community engagement and collaboration through partnerships with local suppliers, NGOs, and LGUs further supports the SDGs, particularly SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). These collaborations amplify their impact by creating a network of stakeholders dedicated to promoting sustainability, waste reduction, and environmental consciousness. By working together, Tingi Station and its partners foster a culture of shared responsibility and collective action, reinforcing the importance of partnerships in achieving sustainable development.

Through education and awareness-raising initiatives, Tingi Station empowers individuals to embrace a zero-waste lifestyle, creating a positive impact on both the local community and the environment. By inspiring behavioral change and promoting sustainable practices, Tingi Station contributes to building a more environmentally conscious society, one refill at a time.

Interview

Elke Kayle Cadangen, Owner