Ocado Retail and the UK Refill Coalition will trial reusable vessels to to deliver food cupboard staples and laundry products at scale, with no extra cost to the customer, as they work to reduce single use plastics.
If every household in the UK opted to reuse just one item per week it would eliminate over 1.4 billion items of single-use packaging per year, according to the collaboration.
Furthermore, new consumer research undertaken by Ocado Retail revealed that there is growing public demand to reduce the use of single-use plastic from grocery shops. Almost three quarters (72%) are concerned about the amount of waste generated by single-use packaging of grocery products, with one in three opting to use retailers that provide refillable options for their pantry staples.
The reusable container is pre-filled with product and delivered to customers alongside the rest of their Ocado shop. Customers then return the empty container to their next Ocado driver. The containers are then collected from Ocado and hygienically washed before being filled again at the supplier. Each vessel replaces up to five single-use plastic items and is designed to be used over 60 times, leading to a significant reduction in single-use plastic over time.
Phase One of the trial, starting in August, will include rice and penne pasta. Phase Two, coming later this year, will add non-bio-liquid detergent and fabric conditioner to the trial.
Simon Hinks, product director at Ocado Retail, said: “Most people understand the concept and know it works in a physical store but this trial brings the solution straight to customers’ doors. Our customers are already used to giving their bags back to our drivers for recycling – so this is a really sensible next step for us to help our customers reduce single-use plastic on products they buy frequently.”
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