12 Jun Refilling – the plastic waste solution?
Taking a refillable tub, bag, or bottle into a shop and being able to refill precisely the amount you want and are charged by weight used to be a unique preserve of niche health food stores. Foods available would vary from rolled oats to brown quinoa, but would rarely break into the mainstream of cornflakes or bread.
But this is rapidly changing, Waitrose being the first of the major supermarkets to trial a refill station offering cereals, pasta, fruit, and even ice cream. And it’s not just the food industry taking radical steps to reduce plastic consumption – Procter & Gamble are trialling a refillable pot for Olay Whips moisturiser, while Dettol have recently launched refill packs for their surface cleanser and liquid hand wash to reduce the number of non-recyclable plastic pumps or trigger bottles than are thrown away each year. Refillable packaging takes many forms – some companies require consumers to wash out and return their containers by post for a refill, others have reduced plastic refill pouches, several are offering in-store refill stations.
Refilling is an exciting innovation – great not just for green credentials in reducing plastic waste, but also food waste, when people can buy by the gram and exactly what they need. As Helga discussed recently, food waste is a huge problem for the environment, for supermarkets and for consumers – but it takes more than a PR-friendly initiative to be effective, and refilling requires a significant change in consumer behaviour.
It’s clear that environmental concerns are increasingly a driving factor in consumer choice, with more shoppers than ever prepared to pay more for low plastic or environmentally friendly options. It’s a clear indicator that people are ready to make changes – but they need innovative solutions to make it customer-friendly and easy for them. It’s about making the change easy or beneficial, whether that’s a bottle deposit scheme which has already been introduced in some pubs and bars, or saving money on refills.
The wonderful thing about innovation is that it really does have the power to change consumer behaviour. But it needs to be adopted whole-heartedly – not just by the shoppers, but by the brands creating new and exciting solutions who need to foster a culture of innovation at a company level, rather than simply using innovation as a PR tool or a means to an end. Companies that truly embrace a culture of innovation are those that are going to change consumer behaviour and make a difference in the world.
This is what Product of the Year champions every year. It’s not just about creating a new product or flavour, nor about following consumer trends, but leading the pack and making a change in consumer behaviour to reduce plastics or food waste, helping busy mums feed their children or helping owners clean their pets’ muddy paws! We’ve been excited to see more recyclable, biodegradable and compostable solutions than ever coming in at Product of the Year for the 2020 awards – and entries are still open, so if you’ve got something revolutionary, let us know!
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