(NG) On Thursday, OUNI announced it had reached its capital goal of 180,000 euros and that it hopes to open the first packaging-free store in the Grand Duchy by autumn 2016.

The concept, appropriately called "OUNI" (which means "without" in Luxembourgish) also stands for "organic unpackaged natural ingredients". Customers will be able to bring their own containers or get recyclable containers at the store.

There's just one catch: the team is still searching for a suitable location. Ideally, the space will be in Bonnevoie, Merl, Limpertsberg or Belair and able to be accessed by public transport.

The shop, to be set up in a space of 100-200 m², will also eventually serve as a community hub, where workshops will be available for those who adhere to a sustainable lifestyle.

According to Thursday's press release, "OUNI has enjoyed unprecedented community support, with over 4,000 Facebook fans, wide media coverage and high turnout to its many information sessions and events."

And it's this community support that will also get the store running. Caroline Lam, a founding member of OUNI , told wort.lu/en in a recent interview, "What's amazing is we're all volunteers and everyone has done work for free."

There was an overwhelming response not just in terms of investment in the store, but also in terms of volunteers. "Active" members were asked to volunteer two hours of their time per month, and the number of those members has already reached its limit at 250. Even so, new members should not be discouraged from joining: OUNI wants to encourage collaboration with the community and maintain membership in the long-term. 

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