Ecover, M&S, City to Sea join forces on reuse project
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ShareReposit, in partnership with City to Sea, Marks & Spencer and Ecover, has today (9 October) announced the launch of a reuse project that will demonstrate a commercially, operationally and environmentally scalable reuse platform.
The project is supported by UK Research & Innovation’s (UKRI) Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Fund.
The buy anywhere, return anywhere, full reuse platform works across brands, categories and retailers and will include testing prefilled products in returnable packaging on a commercial scale.
The project aims to scale, with approximately 100 products across various product categories on sale in 200 stores in leased standardised reusable containers that the consumer can return to stores or via free home collection. Products include items such as washing up liquid, kitchen cleaners and multipurpose cleaning products.
M&S has been piloting the system across six stores with eight homecare products. The pilot found the rate of sale and return rates exceeded targets and, in some cases, sales of products in pre-filled returnable packaging exceeded that of the single-use equivalent product. The scheme will be rolled to Ecover and Beauty Kitchen products sold through a range of high-street and online retailers.
The consortium is calling for additional brands and retailers interested in being part of the project to register their interest by 30 October 2023.
Reuse project has the potential to be a ‘game-changer’
Jane Martin, Head of Development at City to Sea, said: "This is a game-changing moment in our collective battle against plastic pollution from packaging.
“Today we're launching with our friends at Reposit, M&S, and Ecover a buy anywhere, return anywhere full reuse system across brands and retailers. This means that customers will be able to easily and accessibly pick up their favourite products in packaging that has already been refilled safe in the knowledge that it will be used again and again driving a circular economy."
The project hopes that the reuse project will demonstrate that the barriers to mainstreaming reuse models can be removed with scale and appropriate behaviour change support.
Stuart Chidley, Founder and Director of Reposit, said: "A transition to reuse requires stakeholder collaboration and a prioritisation of actionable innovation that removes the barriers to creating a commercially, operationally and environmentally scalable reuse platform.
“We are calling on brands and retailers to get involved now so that we can collectively make the progress that consumers and the planet demand.” 
