Ocado and the UK Refill Coalition are adding laundry essentials to the online grocer’s Reuse range, which looks to limit single-use plastic on everyday items.

From today (28 October), customers at the supermarket will be able to purchase Ocado’s Reuse Non-Bio Liquid Detergent (2.7L) and Reuse Clear Skies Fabric Conditioner (2.7l).

The Reuse range is part of the Refill Coalition’s work to develop reusable packaging solutions, in an effort to reduce the use of single-use packaging from customers’ weekly shops.

The addition of laundry essentials follows the launch of pasta and rice in reusable packaging in August, which the grocer said has been “extremely successful with customers”.  

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Since the launch, it has seen online reviews of 4.9 stars out of five for pasta and 4.8 for rice, with 100% of customers recommending the products.

Reuse products have also reached nearly 30% sales share of equivalent single-use products, while vessels return rate is increasing week on week as people hand their vessels back with each Ocado shop.

It comes as research among more than 2,000 customers undertaken by Ocado Retail and Savanta found that there is growing public demand to reduce the use of single-use plastic from grocery shops.

Almost three quarters (72%) are concerned about the amount of waste generated by single-use packaging of grocery products, with one in three opting to use retailers that provide refillable options for pantry staples.

The majority of consumers (73%) also agreed that more supermarkets should offer refillable options, especially across essential items such as liquid laundry detergent (50%) and fabric conditioner (46%).