M&S, cleaning brand Ecover, environmental organisation City to Sea, and packaging platform Reposit have announced the launch of a “game-changing” reuse project. It aims to demonstrate a commercially scalable platform to help accelerate the transition from single-use packaging to reuse.
The new buy anywhere, return anywhere, reuse platform works across brands, categories and retailers and will include testing prefilled products in returnable packaging on a commercial scale. The system has been produced by Reposit and is backed by behaviour change insight and research from campaigners and consultants at City to Sea.
The project aims to scale the scheme, with approximately 100 products across various product categories on sale in 200 stores in leased standardised reusable containers that consumers can return to stores or via free home collection. It is supported by UK Research & Innovation’s (UKRI) Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Fund.
This new system is hailed as a “game-changing” moment in efforts to tackle single-use packaging. Since June last year, M&S has piloted the system in six stores with eight homecare products, with the rate of sale and return rates exceeding targets. In some cases, sales of products in prefilled returnable packaging are claimed to have exceeded those of the single-use equivalent product.
The scheme will now be rolled to Ecover and Beauty Kitchen products sold through a range of high street and online retailers.
The consortium is calling for additional brands and retailers interested in being part of the project to register their interest by the end of this month to ensure all launches are on market by June next year.
Stuart Chidley, founder and director of Reposit, said: “A transition to reuse requires stakeholder collaboration and a prioritisation of actionable innovation that removes the barriers to creating a commercially, operationally and environmentally scalable reuse platform. We are calling on brands and retailers to get involved now so that we can collectively make the progress that consumers and the planet demand.”
The consortium stated that the initiative is crucial in providing customers with alternatives to single-use plastic, and for brands and retailers to provide a circular packaging solution which will help to meet the requirements of Extended Producer Responsibility regulation (EPR) in the coming years.
The project aims to demonstrate that the barriers to consumers, brands and retailers to mainstreaming reuse models can be removed with scale and appropriate behaviour change support.
Jane Martin, Head of Development at City to Sea, said: “This is a game-changing moment in our collective battle against plastic pollution from packaging. Today we’re launching with our friends at Reposit, M&S, and Ecover a buy anywhere, return anywhere full reuse system cross brands and retailers. This means that customers will be able to easily and accessibly pick up their favourite products in packaging that has already been refilled safe in the knowledge that it will be used again and again driving a circular economy.”
Lucinda Langton – Head of Sustainability at M&S Food, added: “Our customers are always pushing us to lead on issues they care about, including reducing single-use plastic. The M&S Refilled Pilot has had a strong presence from customers since launch last year, and we’re excited to join this UKRI-backed partnership to expand this reuse option further.”
