Waitrose Starts BYO Containers Pilot
Customers can purchase and package rice, cereals and pasta in their own containers.
Jun 07, 2019
LONDON – Waitrose has launched a test at an Oxford location that encourages customers to bring their own containers to purchase products like pasta, cereals and rice, BBC News reports. The trial also removes packaging from products like fresh-cut flowers, and fruits and vegetables.
The pilot removed the packaging for hundreds of products and allows customers to “borrow a box” for a deposit to cart home produce. Dishwashing liquids, laundry detergent, wine and beer are among the items customers can refill in bottles.
More retailers are removing packaging, especially plastic, from products to help reduce plastic usage. Morrisons announced in May that it would ban plastic packaging in stores, while Morrisons, Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury’s allow customers to bring reusable containers for over-the-counter items, like fish and meat. Tesco and Carrefour are also experimenting with refillable containers for shoppers for items like ice cream, breakfast cereals and toiletries.
At the Oxford Waitrose, unpackaged items at refill stations will cost 15% less for consumers who bring their own containers. Tor Harris, who leads corporate social responsibility, told the BBC that the company wanted to “help the growing number of customers who want to shop in a more sustainable way,” adding that the “has huge potential to shape how people might shop with us in the future so it will be fascinating to see which concepts our customers have an appetite for.”
Global Sustainability
