Organic grocery business Abel & Cole has launched what it says is a first-of-its-kind refillables trial which will remove single-use packaging from a variety of products, delivering them instead in returnable, reusable pots.
Members of the new Club Zero – which the company says makes it the first ever online retailer to offer such a service in the UK – will be able to order staple pantry items in ‘Very Important Pots’ (VIPs) which will be collected the following week, to be repeatedly reused.
“People have become increasingly aware of climate change and we have witnessed a huge growth in the appetite for sustainable products and ways to shop,” says MD, Hannah Shipton, commenting on the initiative. “I hope Club Zero helps anyone looking to cut down on single-use packaging, particularly those without the ability to get to a zero waste refill shop or those not wanting to jump in the car to get to one (undoing their intention!).”
Abel & Cole developed the trial in collaboration with zero waste consultant Unpackaged, whose founder Catherine Conway comments: “Abel & Cole are taking a bold step in helping their customers drastically reduce packaging, which is the kind of leadership we need to see from business to help us out of the global plastic packaging crisis we face.”
