Top 10 business benefits of refillable drinks and bulk-refill
The use of refillable flavoured hot and cold drinks and the bulk-refill of liquid grocery products is on the rise with 60 % of people in the UK carrying refillable drinks bottles compared to that of only 20 % in 2012 . In this piece , we ’ ll explore some key business benefits of refillable drinks and bulk-refill and how technology can be used to propel the movement even further .
It ’ s not just retailers who are getting behind this movement ( with an increase in the number of zero waste shops ), but Governments seem to be actively encouraging it with incentives such as :
• The French Government started to make bulk refill mandatory for shops – Convention Citoyenne pour le Climat ( in French )
16 FDPP - www . fdpp . co . uk
• The European Commission ’ s Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive recently included a proposed target for 95 % of cold and hot beverage cups to be reusable by 2040
• In February 2022 , Chile signed into its single-use plastics law that all supermarkets with more than three checkout points must offer and receive refillable beverage bottles in their physical and online stores ).
With more consumers wishing to reuse their containers to bulkrefill or refill their drinks , some industries have started taking matters into their own hands and integrating refill machines within their premises for either product purchase ( bulk dispense liquid refill ), or food service use ( food and beverage solutions ) for drinking . Places where this is starting to happen include :
• Restaurants and cafes – these venues can save money on the cost of disposable cups and lids by offering refillable drink options . They can also increase customer satisfaction by appealing to customers who are concerned about the environment .
• Gyms and fitness facilities – health-focused facilities can provide a valuable service to their members by not only offering refillable water dispensers but also flavour and nutrientenhanced product offerings . This can potentially support members ’ workout performance and can also help the gym to reduce its single-use plastic waste .