WRAP to research supermarket refill and reuse stations

Partnering with UK plastic pact members Asda and Unilever, the research project will analyse how to change “ingrained shopping habits” which might be preventing customers from using refill stations and reusable packaging as part of their regular weekly shop.

According to WRAP, the research which is being co-funded by Innovate UK, will involve closely following shoppers as they plan at home, engage in-store, and how they decant and store products once back at home.

WRAP said that the aim is to “gain a deeper understanding into the opportunities for refill and reuse, as well as the barriers which are holding citizens back”.

The NGO added that the outcome of the research will be “invaluable” to supermarkets and businesses so they can adapt.

Interventions

WRAP anticipates that possible interventions, stemmed by the project, could include making reusable packaging options more visible when shopping online or providing people with prompts and reminders through digital channels.

The resources charity noted that most citizens are concerned about plastic pollution, with many (67%) saying they are open to using refill options, however many also expressed that it should new easier.

‘Holds the answers’

Marcus Gover, chief executive of WRAP, said: “We’ve seen Pact members introducing some successful small-scale trials of refills, but we know we need more evidence to understand how these can be rolled out on a wider-scale and become part of our daily shopping habits.

“No-one has looked at re-use and refill behaviours on this scale before, and I’m delighted that we are able to do this in partnership with two of our founding UK Plastics Pact members, Asda and Unilever. This way of shopping needs to become a habit if we are going to make serious headway in eliminating unnecessary plastic packaging and meet the targets of The UK Plastics Pact.

“This study holds the answers to developing re-use and refill systems that meet the needs of shoppers who want to protect their environment, but also in a cost-effective and convenient way.”