Ocado Retail has become the first major supermarket to pilot a new reusable packaging scheme, specially designed for online, in an effort to reduce the use of single-use packaging from customers’ weekly shops.

The trial, staged across two phases, will use a reusable vessel, developed specifically to deliver food cupboard staples and laundry products at scale, with no extra cost to the customer. 

The pioneering initiative is a partnership between the online retailer and The Refill Coalition. 

The new reusable range will include frequently purchased items to reduce the use of single-use plastic on everyday items while providing the same quality and value. Phase One of the trial, starting in August, will include Ocado Reuse Basmati Rice 2kg and Ocado Reuse Penne Pasta 1kg. Phase Two, coming later this year, will add Ocado Reuse Non-Bio-Liquid Detergent 3L and Ocado Reuse Skies Fabric Conditioner 3L to the trial.

The reusable container is pre-filled with product and delivered to customers alongside the rest of their Ocado shop. Customers then return the empty container to their next Ocado driver. The containers are then collected from Ocado and hygienically washed before being filled again at the supplier. Each vessel replaces up to five single-use plastic items  and is designed to be used over 60 times, leading to a significant reduction in single-use plastic over time.

Research among more than 2,000 consumers undertaken by Ocado Retail and Savanta revealed that there is growing public demand to reduce the use of single-use plastic from grocery shops.

While supermarkets are making steps to reduce plastic packaging, 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.

The Refill Coalition estimates that if every household in the UK opted to reuse just one item per week, it would eliminate over 1.4 billion items of single-use packaging per year.

Simon Hinks, product director at Ocado Retail: “We’re proud to be the first major supermarket to pilot an online reusable packaging scheme. Most people understand the concept and know it works in a physical store but this trial brings the solution straight to customers’ doors. Our customers are already used to giving their bags back to our drivers for recycling – so this is a really sensible next step for us to help our customers reduce single-use plastic on products they buy frequently.”

Rob Spencer, Director at GoUnpackaged: “We are proud to have convened the Refill Coalition to enable the necessary collaboration to bring these new solutions to market. An industry-wide approach will lead to a reuse system that works for everyone in the supply chain and make it easier for shoppers to engage with reuse via online shopping. GoUnpackaged is delighted to be partnering with Ocado Retail to manage the washing and logistics of the consumer vessels for this trial.”

The Refill Coalition is an initiative of reuse specialist GoUnpackaged which provides in-store refill solutions to a growing range of specialist retailers, including Planet Organic, Abel & Cole and River Cottage, as well as major supermarket operators. 

Main image: Ocado Reuse range. Ocado