Could reuse and refill replace single-use packaging in the next 10 years?

For the first time, the UK is facing the possibility that reuse and refill systems could overtake single-use packaging – and within a decade.

Sounds bold, doesn’t it? But this is the motion I was invited to support at last month’s Packaging Innovations event, as part of a debate featuring leading industry voices both for and against the reuse revolution.

As a long-time advocate of reuse and refill systems, even I had reservations about whether such a large-scale shift could happen at this speed. But it has become clear to me that this transition is more likely than we might think.

Consumer demand for refill is undeniable

City to Sea, a leading sustainable plastics charity, has spent a decade researching consumer attitudes toward packaging.

Its findings, presented by CEO Jane Martin, are unequivocal and demonstrate the clear and growing demand for single-use plastic alternatives. Some 75% of consumers believe that reuse must replace single-use, and 77% believe retailers should be doing more to make this happen.

This wasn’t the case 10 years ago, and the shift offers a striking glimpse into the landscape of the next decade. Any successful retailer knows that to keep up with changing consumer demands, you need to think one step ahead.

The evidence suggests that the next generation will not be complacent when it comes to packaging waste and will increasingly choose brands aligned to their values.

Regulatory change is catalysing, not hindering

It is not just consumers who are poised to drive a shift towards reuse and refill, though. There is an adage in business that ‘disruption breeds opportunity’. This could be some a consolation for those in the packaging supply chain who are braced for a series of disruptive new packaging policy interventions, from extended producer responsibility (EPR) to deposit return schemes (DRS).

The reuse and refill opportunities presented by the innovative thinking that will accompany these interventions are significant.

Read more: Refill Coalition: why didn’t it achieve its reuse vision?

This point has been emphasised by Matthew Kay, packaging policy lead at British Glass, who highlighted that DRS is already spurring new approaches to developing soft drop return systems for glass containers, though he noted that DRS and reuse require separate infrastructure.

It could be that upcoming regulatory changes will mark a tipping point, rather than a sticking point, when it comes to reuse. If implemented correctly, they could lay the groundwork for a more sustainable sector, better placed to integrate reuse and refill systems than ever before.

Retailers are leading the way

My final, and possibly most convincing, takeaway, is that we should never underestimate retailers. Opposition to reuse and refill has been focused almost exclusively on the financial and logistical challenges of implementation. While these challenges are considerable, the grocery sector above all others has proved itself capable of innovating to overcome whatever obstacles it faces.

Retailers know how to move products, whatever form they come in. Couple this with the commercial incentives that reuse and refill systems present, such as an increased ability to gather consumer data and lock customers into loyalty links, and the picture is clear.

We might not know exactly what widespread reuse and refill will look like, but I am confident in the ability of UK retailers to build and implement innovative systems that work for the industry and the consumer.

Building reuse momentum

It is important to remember that reuse and refill does not need to entirely replace single-use to overtake it. Through SSPP’s work, we are already seeing change in action through initiatives we support, such as the Refill Coalition, which has done great work to lay the groundwork for commercially viable, widescale reuse and refill systems with its partner Ocado.

We are also making strides with all our retail partners to assess the next steps in unlocking this change. There is still much to do – not least in understanding how to effectively expand the reuse and refill proposition beyond dry food and household and personal care products, but we are rapidly innovating to make reuse and refill a more accessible, convenient and investable proposition.

And there is nothing to say that this trend will not continue: as the insights from this year’s Packaging Innovations show, there is no knowing how quickly the packaging landscape could change.

Dr Paul Davidson is director of UKRI’s Smart Plastic Packaging Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK