Welcome to the Solutions Database,
a guide to technologies, strategies, and best practices for reducing plastic waste

Customers refill the reusable package at a dispensing point away from home, for example in a store. They retain ownership of the reusable package and are responsible for cleaning it (3).

Key benefits:

• Individual needs can be met by customized dispensing systems where users can choose the desired refill quantity and personalize the contents, for example by adding or mixing flavors/flagrances (3). In low-income countries, the model can accommodate customer needs for small quantities at af-fordable prices without relying on single-use plastic sachets (2).
• Dispensers can ensure engagement and convenience for consumers. To achieve this, dispensers should be quick to use and refill, for example using smart, au-tomated, and touchless technology with sensors and cash-free payments, which also allow businesses to gather user intelligence. Similarly, good signage, extra floor staff in the initial roll-out phase, bulk packaging and labelling done by staff, and taking steps to ease and in-centivize the adoption of reusable packaging can all aid the transition to refill on the go models (3,2,6).
• Transportation and packaging related costs and emissions can be reduced by supplying concentrates of products with high water content and mixing with water at the retail end (3,2).
• Reusable shopping bags that consumers refill on the go with their groceries offer 42% plastic mass and greenhouse gas reductions, while revenue compared to single-use bags is either unchanged or could even be improved.

Key watch-outs:

• A physical store or dispensing point is required, which makes it better suited to traditional retail outlets and urban environ-ments. Distributed or mobile dispensers can enhance the accessibility for consumers (2,3).
• The hygiene of the refillable packaging can be improved by installing washing ports next to the dispensing units to clean on the spot and/or by providing clear instruction on how to clean the containers (3).

• Dried products (e.g., beans, pasta and grains) often have minimal packaging requirements, making them ideal for very simple bulk dispensers. They can be purchased and transported home in foldable/flexible packaging (e.g., reusable bags) that are easy to bring to the store for refills (3).
• Liquid foods (e.g., cooking oils, milk, wine, and dressings) and beverages consumed on the go (e.g., water and fruit juice) can be refilled in reusable bottles or cups (3,6).
• Health & beauty and cleaning products such as soaps, shampoo, detergents, and household cleaners can be easily refilled in store (6).
• DIY and garden products such as seeds, compost, paint, screws, or car care products can work well for self-dispensing refill on the go models (6).

Initial guidance on applicability of this solution per plastic type:

• All things hair refillery in Philippines: - Cost-attractive refill stations for Unilever top-selling hair products. Users can refill their empty shampoo and conditioner bottles in selected shopping malls for Unilever top-selling brands such as Dove, Sunsilk, and TRESemmé. Users can dispense as much as they like and pay per gram.
• The Body Shop has launched a refill station in their stores: Currently the refill station has been rolled out in 400 stores globally in 2021, and they are launching further 400 in 2022. The Body Shop Indonesia has 12 stores with refill station as of mid 2022. The Body Shop claimed that switching to refill and collectively consumers could save over 25 tonnes of plastic annually.