Persuading shoppers to swap single-use plastic for refillables was always going to be a long, drawn-out process – without the worst cost of living crisis in decades thrown into the mix. 

So given the pandemic and the war in Ukraine are just two of the disasters to have hit in recent years – steering clear of the controversial B word – it’s perhaps not surprising the industry is lagging well behind in its mission.

Last week’s report by Wrap revealed the industry’s landmark Plastics Pact was due to miss half of its targets if the current pace of change continued, with huge implications for the environment.

One of these targets was to make 70% of packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Wrap singled out the minimal uptake of reuse and refill technology among retailers and suppliers as one of the key barriers.

The latest update found 1,800 tonnes of reusable packaging were placed on to the market in 2021. That may sound a lot, but in fact it made up a paltry 0.2% of all packaging that year.

Wrap says without a major scaling-up of such technology, the target is doomed to fail.

It’s not the first suggestion that refillable tech has failed to live up to its billing, and will continue to do so unless consumers buy into the war on plastic in a much bigger way.

In July, The Grocer revealed Tesco had quietly wound up its reusable packaging trial with eco company Loop, after admitting such initiatives would require a major shift in consumer mindset.

Of course, such a shift is not just about wanting to help the environment, but about having the cold, hard cash to do so. 

Given a choice between doing what is best for the planet and making sure there is enough food to feed their families, it’s obvious what most people would choose.

And a walk around any supermarket reveals just how many eco-friendly alternatives command a hefty premium on their less sustainable counterparts.

So, it was interesting to see Asda this week announce a new ‘refill price promise’, which guarantees refill products will be cheaper than packaged alternatives, in a relaunch of its eco proposition.

The supermarket first introduced refill two years ago and has been trialling technology at a raft of stores, with an impressive list of brands including the likes of Nestlé, Unilever and Kellogg’s.

It’s hardly news that consumers will be more likely to change habits if they don’t have to pay more for doing so. But this is an encouraging step towards actually removing that barrier – and could take this offer into the mainstream.

There’s a way to go before that happens, though. For now, the refills will be at four Asda stores: in Leeds, Glasgow, York and Milton Keynes. And this is coming from one of the pioneers.

The chances of making up that 68% gap between the industry’s bold aims and the reality sadly look slim to non-existent unless such development goes nationwide, across all the major supermarkets.

Yet sadly it is not just customers facing a squeeze on costs but these retailers too and their suppliers, who right now will be focused on the toughest Christmas in decades, rather than a target in three years’ time. Even if that target could have long-lasting repercussions for the planet. 

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