M&S-backed reusable packaging initiative expands into Abel & Cole

An M&S-backed reusable packaging initiative has expanded to more retailers, with Abel & Cole among those getting on board.

It marks a breakthrough for a multi-brand coalition led by reusable packaging platform Reposit, whose ultimate aim is to enable shoppers to ‘buy anywhere, return anywhere’.

Reposit’s prefilled and returnable containers are already found in 25 M&S stores, where they are used to sell own-label homecare products including cleaning sprays, laundry detergents, fabric conditioners and washing-up liquids. Shoppers pay a £2 premium on their first purchase, which they get back as a voucher when they bring the container back.

Now online grocer Abel & Cole is expanding its ‘Club Zero’ reusable packaging range with skincare products in Reposit containers. From this month the retailer is adding six lines from Beauty Kitchen, the online ‘return, refill, repeat’ skincare brand that pioneered the Reposit concept in 2019.

Customers can leave the empty containers out for the driver delivering their next Abel & Cole order, as they would with other Club Zero packaging.

Read more: What’s so ‘game-changing’ about M&S and Reposit’s reusable packaging pilot?

The concept has also gained a new physical retailer, with Arran Sense of Scotland to sell products in Reposit packaging from this month. The luxury fragrance retailer is set to stock the products in two stores in Scotland using “leased standardised reusable containers”.

Meanwhile, babycare DTC brand Mama Bamboo will sell four Reposit-packaged lines online from October, including lotion and shampoo.

Customers are incentivised to return the containers when empty with a discount on their next purchase. They can scan a QR code on the bottom of the container to find a return point, which in the case of Arran Sense of Scotland would be one of its stores. There is also a Freepost option.

The returned items are professionally cleaned by Reposit and put back into circulation.

M&S is a founding member of the multi-retailer coalition behind Reposit’s expansion, having first used the containers in six stores in 2022, before rolling them out to another 19 earlier this year. It has resulted in 10,000 people so far engaging with the reuse system during their grocery shop, according to the coalition.

Reposit’s pre-filled and return initiative is one of a number of concurrent collaborative attempts to scale a system of reusable packaging. Others include the Refill Coalition, which uses standardised vessels as dispensers for shoppers to fill their own containers. The Refill Coalition’s concept is in two Aldi stores, and an online adaptation was launched by Ocado last month.  

Read more: Can new Ocado pilot finally crack the code of refillable packaging?

Reposit’s coalition also includes campaign group City to Sea and laundry brand Ecover.

Last year, the coalition announced its “game-changing” plan with an invitation for brands and retailers to sign up for a larger-scale launch.

“By working with key names across industry, we have been able to grow our in-store presence and, as we approach our first-year milestone, expand into new industries,” said Reposit co-founder Stuart Chidley.

“The vision for return and reuse is to unlock further industries and channels through multiple partnerships, and we thank those brands and retailers who have worked alongside us to make this game-changing system a reality.

Read more: Small-scale trials of reusable packaging worse for environment than single-use soft plastic

“The project has demonstrated its success as a commercially, operationally and environmentally scalable reuse platform, cutting down on the scourge of single-use plastic produced by supermarkets and brands, and accelerating growth towards a circular economy.”

City to Sea CEO Jane Martin said: “One year on from launch and reusable packaging schemes are gaining momentum across the country. Working with this consortium of retailers and industry specialists has helped to create a system that works for people and the planet.

“Reusable packaging has a key part to play in transitioning to a more circular economy, giving businesses and consumers the opportunity to make sustainable packaging a part of their everyday lives. However, as ever, we’d welcome support and intervention from government to expediate the positive effects of these programmes. It’s time the government stepped up for reuse and finally put an end to single-use plastic packaging.”