Nestlé pilots refillable coffee and petcare dispensers in Swiss shops

19 May 2020 --- Nestlé is piloting reusable and refillable dispensers for petcare and soluble coffee as part of its efforts to reduce single-use packaging. The in-store dispensers encourage consumers to bring reusable containers to purchase different types of Purina cat food and Nescafé soluble coffee. Consumers can also digitally access product information that is typically found on packaging, such as ingredients, nutritional values and shelf life via the dispensers.

Working in collaboration with the start-up MIWA, Nestlé recently piloted the reusable and refillable dispensers in three Nestlé shops located in Rorschach, Orbe and La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland. During a four-month trial period, the dispensers were “well-received” by consumers and Nestlé was able to gain valuable insights, including the user-friendliness. To further assess the dispensers’ effectiveness in preventing packaging waste along the supply chain, the dispensers are now being rolled out across more locations in the next few months.

“Packaging plays a key role in maintaining food safety during a product’s shelf life. This means that whenever new packaging systems are explored we need to ensure that our products can be delivered to consumers safely and hygienically. These dispensers are novel because they incorporate smart technology which allows us to ensure product safety, and also guarantee the freshness and traceability of our products,” explains Hélène Lanctuit, R&D Packaging Lead at Nestlé.

Consumers can access product information that is typically found on packaging via a screen on the dispenser.The development of innovative, alternative delivery systems such as bulk, reuse and refill options are a key focus area for Nestlé across several product categories. The company has already announced a pilot test for Refill Plus, a water dispenser using state-of-the-art technology, which allows consumers to personalize their water with sixty-four flavor combinations.

In partnership with Terracycle, Nestlé is rolling out Loop, a subscription home delivery service in the US and will also introduce it soon in France. Additionally, mini dispensers for Nescafé and Milo are available for the out-of-home segment in many countries around the world. TerraCycle’s Loop is set to expand into the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and Germany after promising trials in France and the US.

These innovative systems are part of a broader set of actions to reduce single-use packaging. Building on its commitment to making 100 percent of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025, Nestlé announced plans to reduce the use of virgin plastics by one third during the same period.

Nestlé's refillable systems are part of a broader set of actions to reduce its single-use packaging.“At Purina, our teams are focused on designing our products and packaging for a more sustainable future. This pilot marks an important step forward in our efforts towards waste reduction and we are proud to play a leading role in testing these innovative dispensers. Offering pet owners the option of using safe reusable and refillable dispensers in-store can help us improve our environmental impact while still providing great quality nutrition for pets,” says Bernard Meunier, CEO of Nestlé Purina Petcare EMENA.

“As part of Nescafé’s packaging transformation journey, we have been working hard to rethink how we design our packaging for better environmental impact. We are excited to work on a refilling option made possible by our in-store dispensing system for our consumers who want to enjoy their Nescafé experience at home,” adds Philipp Navratil, Global Head of Beverage Strategic Business Unit at Nestlé.

In January, Nestlé announced an investment of up to 2 billion Swiss francs (US$2.08 billion) to pioneer the shift from virgin plastics to food-grade recycled plastics and accelerate the development of innovative sustainable packaging solutions.

More recently, Nestlé signed up to the European Plastics Pact, which is designed to accelerate the transition towards a circular plastics economy and stop the sole dependence on virgin plastics made from non-renewable fossil fuel.

Edited by Joshua Poole