A group of leading UK supermarkets has come together in the first-ever Refill Coalition collaborating to co-design an innovative refill solution. If successful, the solution could play a key role in reducing the 56.5 billion units of single-use plastic packaging sold annually in the UK. Some retailers have introduced refill stations already, seen as a key component in tackling single-use plastic packaging waste, but an end-to-end solution is needed to achieve scale - which is why industry-wide collaboration is crucial. The solution will reimagine how food staples and household products are supplied and marks the first step in developing a worldwide standard for plastic-free food distribution. Part of the system, being developed through the coalition, is a bulk home delivery refill solution - an industry first, with the ambition to test the system live in stores, and online, starting early 2023.

Goals and Impact:

This is a business-led collaboration aiming to prove that: - Refill systems are viable and scalable across multiple product categories and retail formats, when facilitated by an efficient supply chain (with suppliers, logistics and retailers aligned using a new reusable supply chain packaging format) - There is sufficient consumer demand for refills, given the right solution (we will gather objective data regarding adoption and sustained usage) This solution does not increase supply chain costs - This solution will improve sustainability beyond current solutions, evidenced through independent life cycle analysis (LCA).