Sainsbury's is trialing in-store cleaning refill stations

From Country Living

Sainsbury's is trialing a new in-store refill service of Ecover cleaning products at their Harringay superstore in North London to help reduce plastic waste.

As part of their initiative to become greener, the supermarket giant will give customers the chance to bring their own bottles and fill them with washing-up liquid or laundry detergent at the pumps. Alternatively, shoppers can purchase the bottles provided and continue to reuse them up to 50 times.

This trial is part of Sainsbury's plan to reduce, reuse or replace plastic across the business's operations, as well as reducing carbon emissions.

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "Refillable packaging is just one initiative we plan to trial this year and goes to show how a small change can make a big difference. We look forward to hearing feedback from the trial with a view to rolling out more widely across the estate if successful."

Tom Domen, Global Head of Long-Term Innovation at Ecover, said: "As manufacturers, we believe we need to totally re-think plastic – how we make it, use it, re-use it and recycle it.

"At Ecover we want to challenge the idea of single use packaging and our disposable culture. This partnership with Sainsbury's is an important step in kickstarting a REFILLUTION® in the UK and realising our goal of making refills more accessible for everyone."

Last month, Sainsbury's also announced that it would pledge to become Net Zero by 2040 by implementing planet-friendly changes across its recycling, plastic packaging, carbon reduction and biodiversity.

Elsewhere, we also saw Waitrose adopt a similar initiative, offering shoppers a dedicated refill zone for them to buy goods in their own reusable containers. From pasta to wine and washing-up liquid, shoppers have the option to fill up their containers, jars and glass bottles. The scheme was rolled out across their Cheltenham, Abingdon and Wallingford stores.

It's a step in the right direction for supermarkets. Let's hope others also follow suit.

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