Ocado extends online reusable packaging scheme

Ocado Retail has added new laundry detergent and fabric conditioner SKUs to its reusable packaging range, which launched in August.

Two new own-label products have been added to the range – Ocado Reuse Non-Bio Liquid Detergent 2.7L and Ocado Reuse Clear Skies Fabric Conditioner 2.7L.

The Ocado Reuse range – launched with backing from the Refill Coalition, of which it is a member – sees customers shop a small range of products that are delivered in a pre-filled reusable vessel, “developed specifically to deliver food cupboard staples and laundry products at scale”.

Once used or decanted, customers then return the empty vessel to the Ocado driver when they next deliver.

The containers are then collected from Ocado and hygienically washed before being filled again at the supplier.

Phase one of the trial, which began in August, included Ocado Reuse Basmati Rice 2kg and Ocado Reuse Penne Pasta 1kg.

At the time of launch, Ocado claimed to be the first major supermarket to trial an online reusable packaging scheme.

The reusable packaging rice and penne SKUs had proved popular with shoppers, the online pureplayer said.

The products have seen “strong” online reviews (pasta achieving 4.9-star reviews and rice 4.8 stars on average) with all customers recommending the products. The reuse products have reached nearly 30% sales share of equivalent single-use products, with the vessel return rate “increasing week on week as people hand their vessels back with each Ocado shop”.

As with existing reusable SKUs, GoUnpackaged will manage the washing and logistics for Ocado Retail for the extended range.

Each of the reusable vessels replaced up to five single-use plastic items, Ocado Retail said, and was designed to be used more than 60 times, “leading to a significant reduction in single-use plastic over time”.

The trial comes amid growing demand among consumers for retailers to reduce their reliance on single-use plastics.

A survey of 2,000 consumers undertaken by Ocado Retail and Savanta revealed almost three quarters (72%) were 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 majority of consumers (73%) agreed that more supermarkets should offer refillable options, especially across essential items.

Figures from this year’s Big Plastic Count estimate that up to 90 billion units of single-use plastics are sold by the UK grocery market each year. Last year, an Efra Committee report highlighted that “increasing the uptake of reusable packaging is essential for reducing the total amount of packaging consumed in the UK”.