Today is World Refill Day, a global day of action to prevent plastic pollution and help people live with less waste.
Retailers and brands have been upping their efforts to minimise the use of plastic in recent years. As a result, a wide range of refillable products have been making their way onto shelves to attract sustainability-minded consumers.
Grocery Gazette looks at some of the most innovative refillable products from both retailers and brands…
Waitrose – Refillable olive oil pouch
Waitrose became the first UK supermarket to introduce a refill pouch for olive oil this year.
Consumers can buy glass bottles of the oil and then refill it with pouches, which have a carbon footprint that is fifteen times lower than glass bottles.
The upmarket retailer is now stocking Citizens of Soil’s 500ml single estate extra virgin olive oil across 155 UK stores.
Once customers have washed and dried the empty pouches, they can be taken to a soft plastic drop-off point at one of 295 Waitrose stores or sent back to Citizens of Soil via post.
Nescafé – Instant coffee refill pouch
Nescafé launched an instant coffee refill pouch earlier this year that can be recycled in stores and uses less packaging.
The new 150g refill pouch, which is being introduced across its Gold Blend and Original variants, is 97% lighter than the brand’s current 200g glass coffee jar and has on average 60% less plastic than the jar’s lid.
The resealable pack will help to preserve freshness and once empty, can be recycled in over 5,000 stores across the UK and through kerbside collection in Ireland.
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Dove: refillable deodorant
Whilst refills may be commonplace in the bathroom cabinet with many giants from Sainsbury’s to Radox selling refillable shower gels and handwashes, refillable deodorant is quickly gaining traction.
Dove has launched its first refillable deodorant. The product comes in a “super-durable” stainless steel case, which is capable of enduring forces of nearly 900lb in weight.
Consumers can buy one pack and continue to refill it until its end of life, cutting down on the disposal of single-use packaging, which would have otherwise resulted in 12bn tonnes of plastic in landfill or the environment by 2050, according to owner Unilever.
Unilever global vice president of communications and sustainability Firdaous El Honsali said: “We’re excited to make sustainable personal care products accessible with the launch of Dove Refillable deodorant. Dove Refillable deodorant is only the beginning. We are looking at every facet of our packaging and are working towards our commitment to make all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.”
The Dove Refillable range is certified by PETA and comes in four fragrances marketed towards men and women.
Happier Beauty – the ‘world’s first’ refillable toothpaste
Oral care brand Happier Beauty has developed what it claims is the “world’s first” refillable toothpaste.
It terms the product an “endlessly reusable toothpaste dispenser”. The tube is made of aluminium and 50% recycled plastic and can be topped up with biodegradable refill capsules.
The capsules will be sent out as a subscription, with customers able to choose the frequency of their subscription.
Happier Beauty founder Faye Wilson says: “Refills are becoming more popular across food and beauty, so why not dental care? Toothpaste is a product we all use twice a day but innovation in this market has been pretty slow up until now.”
The product launched last spring in four colours: mint, pink, peach and white.
Radox – Shower gel refill bottles
Radox released a refillable shower gel bottle in April, in a bid to save 450 tonnes of virgin plastic each year.
The personal care brand’s new bottles are made from 50% post-consumer recycled plastic and can be filled using the brand’s new 500ml refill packs – using use 74% less plastic.
As part of the packaging redesign, Radox has changed the colour gradient on its logo to make its products easier for people with colour blindness to read, and has removed the ‘For Men’ label on its ‘Feel Awake’ variant to promote inclusivity.
These changes also build on Unilever’s wider mission to halve its use of virgin plastic by 2025.
