Tamsin Thornburrow founded Live Zero as a zero-plastic space. Customers who entered would walk out of the brick-and-mortar store and not have to throw anything they left with; they’d go home with just their goods and, sometimes, the containers to store them.

Rather than committing to large packages of products, customers could purchase any amount—from a tablespoon and up—to try. It also offered a range of Hong Kong favourites like crystalised ginger and roasted green peas to stay relevant to locals, rather than become an expat trap. An instant success at its 2017 launch in Sai Ying Pun, Live Zero soon opened several other branches across the city.

Read more: How sustainability rewards app Zero2 is uniting Hong Kongers to go green

In the aftermath of Covid-19, like many retail operators, Live Zero has been hit hard. They decided to close all of its stores, except the original Sai Ying Pun location. But rather than shy away, the founder shares her experience with us, expressing how the slowdown has even offered some welcome respite.

Here, Thornburrow explains the state of sustainable retail in Hong Kong and how career happiness means more than an upward profit line.