Unpacking UNPACKED
Back in 2019, the leading UK retailer Waitrose undertook a worthwhile experiment. The mission was to tackle single-use plastic food packaging through the core consumption reduction principles of ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’. So far so good.
Their in-store solution was refill stations, they ‘unpacked’ 200 of their products across fresh, frozen and ambient, and accompanied them with reusable containers alongside a set of scales. It was beautifully merchandised and thoughtfully executed.
However, they overlooked a critical point, and that is that ‘refilling’ is neither mentally nor physically convenient. And what are supermarkets if not convenient? There is a market for the refill-shop model, but in the case of weekly groceries, it's incredibly small.
Convenience is the nucleus of retail. Failing to incorporate it is the greatest sin and ensured this trial didn’t realise its worthy goals:
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There is nothing convenient about lugging countless containers back and forth to the supermarket.
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There is nothing convenient about missing product communication, such as cooking or storage instructions.
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There is nothing convenient about queuing to weight every item.
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There is nothing convenient about nipping into a supermarket during your lunch break and wondering if you need more rice for dinner tonight and then, just in case, you needing to buy and fill a new receptacle.
Thankfully, since 2019, ideas and solutions have rapidly evolved and I’m particularly encouraged by the reusable flexible packaging solutions and the infrastructure that is being development (in essence something of a returnable freezer-bag concept).
Importantly, this solution maintains the exact same user experience; prepacked, pre-weighted, printed with brand and product information, all without the need for organising and lugging additional storage containers. Once you've finished with them, the plastic bags are sent back to the producer, are cleaned and re-filled, creating a system-level refill solution moving, shifting from single use to multi use and really nailing the ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ mantra.
Summer 2024