Unilever expands Asda and Co-op refillable packaging trials as consumers demand plastic reductions

17 Jun 2021 --- Unilever is expanding its refillable packaging trials across the UK, including a first “return on the go” refill trial, in selected Asda supermarket and Co-op convenience stores.

The FMCG giant’s household brands Persil, Simple, Radox and Alberto Balsam will be available in reusable stainless-steel bottles in selected Asda and Co-op stores by the end of 2021.

“Once we know what works best, we will be able to assess how to scale up our refill offering in a way which works best for us and for our customers and shoppers,” Yvette Edwards, communications and corporate affairs director at Unilever UK and Ireland, tells PackagingInsights.

Listen to the people
This comes after a UK survey found 81 percent of Brits want the UK government to make refillable products easier to buy and more widely available, as a priority for reducing plastic pollution.

According to the new poll by City to Sea and Friends of the Earth, three out of four people (74%) would like to see more refill options for dried foods, laundry detergents and takeaway coffees to reduce single-use plastic. 

Following Unilever’s first refill trial in Asda’s “Sustainability Store,” based in Middleton, Leeds, UK, last year, the new tests aim to better understand consumer purchasing habits toward refillable and reusable packaging.

“We believe refills could be a gamechanger in our ambitions to halve our use of virgin plastic by 2025. However, unlocking the full potential of the reuse economy would require a significant shift in how people shop,” says Sebastian Munden, Unilever UK & Ireland executive vice-president.

“We’re going to be gaining as much new insight and learning from these trials as we can, and this will help inform our next steps,” Edwards adds.

Click to EnlargeThe Unilever Radox refill station offers shower gels, shampoos, conditioners and handwashes.Global first “return on the go”
The expanded trials will hit seven stores across the country, including Glasgow, York, Rugby, Milton Keynes and Leeds. Unilever will announce plans for more stores and trials with Asda and Co-op later in the year. 

The trials will include a global first for Unilever testing “return on the go” refillable products. Shoppers looking for a quicker “grab and go” purchase can pick up a pre-filled stainless-steel bottle from retailer shelves and return it in-store once used, where they are collected for cleaning and refilling. 

The pre-fill bottles will be available in-aisle, testing if integrating refillable products into usual shopping habits will increase uptake. The trials will also test different store formats and in-store locations that could support consumers’ long-term refillable use.

“The main challenges we are looking to overcome are how to encourage more people to try refills, and [how to encourage them] to continue to use them as part of their shopping experience, both in supermarkets and convenience stores,” Edwards explains.

Click to EnlargeIn the first trial, Asda customers’ weekly Persil purchases from the refill zone were a third higher than the equivalent single-use pack.Exceeding expectations?
Uptake at Unilever’s refill trial in Asda’s Sustainability Store in Leeds last year “exceeded expectations,” with weekly purchases of Persil from the refill zone reaching a third higher than the equivalent single-use pack. 

The FMCG company highlights this as “demonstrating positive intent and consumer behavior change in-store.” Notably, City of Sea’s poll reveals almost two-thirds (59%) of consumers say they do not think supermarkets and brands are doing enough to offer refillable, reusable or packaging-free products. 

“To tackle plastic pollution with the speed and urgency needed, we are committed to creating scalable solutions which make it as easy as possible for people to make sustainable choices,” says Munden. 

According to Innova Market Insights, many global consumers regard packaging’s reusability as a key sustainability credential (53%), followed by recyclability (52%), incorporation of recycled content (41%) and compostability (24%).

When trends collide
Moreover, 74 percent of Brits experience anxiety and frustration at the amount of plastic that comes with their shopping. The frustration is exemplified by one in three UK consumers having had a reusable container refused in the last 12 months when buying a refillable product.

Reusable containers have frequently been rejected for hygiene reasons throughout the pandemic, a trend observed by Innova Market Insights’ “Hygiene Heroics.” 

However, “The Reusable Revolution” follows closely as the fifth top packaging trend for 2021, highlighting the increasing scalability of reusable packaging models targeting a zero-waste world.

By Anni Schleicher

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