Asda has begun trialling the sale of fabric conditioner in reusable packaging in a bid to further reduce the amount of packaging used on its products.
The trial at Asda’s Barnsley store involves fabric conditioner being piped from a 1,000 litre reusable container at the back of the store to a dispensing point in the retail aisle.
The conditioner is then sold in pouches that can be reused up to 10 times, saving customers 40p per purchase compared to the same volume of product in traditional plastic bottles and also cutting the amount of packaging thrown away.
Julian Walker-Palin, Asda’s head of corporate policy for sustainability and ethics, said: “Asda already leads the retail sector in packaging reduction and has reduced packaging on Asda products by 28 per cent since 2007.”
“Our mantra at Asda is to make sustainability affordable for all and this project directly engages our customers on this by offering them a great product which not only has a lower packaging footprint but also has a lower price tag due to its reduced environmental footprint.”
Dr Richard Swannell, director of retail at the Waste &Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which is funding the trial, added: “Reusable packaging offers us an opportunity to fundamentally rethink the retail experience.”
“We have already seen positive responses from consumers in relation to carrier bag reuse and if this trial enjoys similar success, it could mark the start of a reusable revolution.”
