// Waitrose, Ocado, Morrisons & Marks and Spencer have joined a refillable grocery partnership in a sustainability push
// Grocers including Waitrose and M&S are currently trialling some refill stations in a few branches
Some of the country’s biggest grocers have teamed up to ensure that “every shopper in the UK” will have access to refillable groceries in a large supermarket or with a delivery service.
Waitrose, Ocado, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and the supply-chain company CHEP have joined a refillable grocery partnership and plan to both roll out unpackaged options in-store as well as letting people fill containers with essentials during home deliveries.
These grocers are part of the Refill Coalition group, run by Unpackaged, a company that runs refill stations in stores including Planet Organic and in some independent local farm shops and the supermarkets plan to start the rollout by the end of the year.
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Supermarkets will initially start their refill lines with dry goods such as pasta, rice, cereals, seeds, grains, nuts and dried fruits; and will also offer household and personal care products such as washing-up liquid, laundry liquid, shampoo, and handwash.
Catherine Conway, the founder of Unpackaged told The Guardian: “Working together to create a universal system gives us the best chance of scaling refills so they become accessible to every shopper in the UK, as we know consumers want less single-use plastic packaging on the items they buy.
“An industry-wide approach will lead to a refill system that works for everyone in the supply chain and will make refilling easier for shoppers.”
Supermarkets including Waitrose and M&S are trialling some refill stations in a handful of branches.
M&S, Morrisons, Ocado, Waitrose & Partners and CHEP said in a joint statement: “We’re delighted to be joining forces with the mutual objective of reducing single-use plastic packaging. The universal end-to-end solution being developed by the Refill Coalition presents a landmark opportunity for us to make a step change in the commercialisation of refills which we know can play a significant role in the reduction of single-use plastic packaging.”
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