Report: A feasibility study - potential refill solutions for the food and non food retail sectors
- Date
- 19th June 2008
- Documents
-
(2661 kb)
Refill systems have the potential to significantly reduce both retail packaging and product waste.
This study examined existing refill systems in use in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, mainland Europe and the UK. Such systems involve a lower cost dispensing container which refills an original dispenser. In their simplest form, refill systems could be a pack where there is a screw cap in place of the dispense mechanism, such as a trigger spray.
To optimise the cost and waste savings for retailers and consumers, the refill pack needs to be carefully designed to provide added value. For the retailer this would mean more packs per unit area on display (where possible the refill should be a bulk pack capable of multiple refills to maximise the savings) and for the consumer a reduced pack cost.
The report presents a range of international concepts (from Grocery, Home Improvement, and Health & Beauty) suitable for the UK market giving advantages, disadvantages and potential commercial benefits as well as barriers and solutions for take up. There is a huge opportunity to expand the refill product range in the UK provided good point of sale messaging is used.
Economics
- Reduce waste
- Reduce pack costs
- Reduce distribution costs
- Make it easier for the consumer to recycle
