Why shop refill?

1. Reduce single use plastic.

Reducing the amount of single use plastic we all collectively use, will all add up and make a huge impact on our oceans and sea life. Greenpeace reports "A truckload of plastic enters the ocean every single minute and UK supermarkets produce 800,000 tonnes every year. With production increasing, that’s set to rise." This contribution of plastic in our oceans is detrimental to the health of the water and the animals who live in the sea.

We've seen great progress with the UK ban on plastic straws after seeing how dangerous they are for animals, but we've still got a lot of work to do.

"Every time you use your own container, you're cutting down the amount of plastic you would have been responsible for," says Clare Oxborrow, a campaigner at Friends of the Earth.

2. No shipping of water.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation states "A typical bottle of cleaner is 90% water and less than 10% actual valuable ingredients. Despite already having water in our homes, these products are packaged and shipped in disposable plastic bottles that are used once and then thrown away."

If we have access to water in our homes, all we need is a concentrated refill or tablet to create our cleaning solution. In turn, this means water is not shipped around the world and you can keep refilling the same bottle and cut down on waste.

3. Less CO2 emissions.

By not shipping water, the packaging and weight of the product is dramatically dropped and in turn the carbon footprint is reduced. Vox says, "It reduces their volume, thus reducing the number of boats and trucks needed to transport them. It reduces their weight, thus further reducing fuel and carbon emissions associated with shipping them."

Companies such as Spruce and Neat, offering sachets and concentrated refills help cut out the unnecessary shipping of water.

4. More mindful of consumption.

Being aware of how frequently you need to manually top up, or order your refill, means you become much more mindful and conscious about your habits. This awareness snowballs and makes you question if you really need to use that much soap, because you know exactly when you last topped up. In turn, this leads to consuming less and making things last longer.

Companies that are doing great things.

Liberté Chérie

Zero waste grocery store, based on Portobello Road, make sustainable shopping easy. You can pick up your food and groceries knowing everything is locally sourced and contains no plastic.

"This shop is zero-waste, but just as importantly they sell delicious food. The owner has huge food knowledge and is able to take you through all the amazing food stuffs on offer."

If you're living close by to Portobello Road, or passing through, why not stop in and support Liberté Chérie.

Refill

Refill is an award-winning campaign from City to Sea to help people live with less plastic. Anyone can download the free app to tap into a global network of places to reduce, reuse and refill.

Connect with places to eat, drink and shop with less waste. Refill is an 'on the go' app to help you find places to access free drinking water, zero-waste shopping options and more. Discover the Refill app.

Network Rail

Network Rail's free drinking water fountains are now saving more than 100,000 water bottles from landfill every month with the help of station users. You can carry your plastic-free water bottle and top up on the go, so you avoid having to purchase a water bottle. Read more about Network Rail's progress.

Join the refill revolution and shop our refill collection at THE FIND.