Unilever aims to advance sustainable packaging with URefill initiative

Unilever Bangladesh is driving a transformative shift in consumer behaviour with its innovative 'URefill' initiative, a machine designed to reduce plastic waste and promote sustainability.

As part of the company's ongoing commitment to sustainability, URefill aims to revolutionise how everyday products are purchased and used, making a significant impact on both environment and consumer habits.

The 'URefill Machine' is the first-ever refill machine designed for dispensing liquid products to consumers, says a statement.

"To tackle plastic pollution with the speed and urgency needed, we aim to create solutions appropriate for the local market, scalable and will inspire consumers to be a part of the refill-reuse revolution," said Shadman Sadikin, Marketing Director-Homecare at Unilever Bangladesh.

"Unilever Bangladesh has partnered with its global TRANSFORM initiative and Bopinc to design the URefill machine for the general trade environment. This research started back in 2021 and in 2023, prototypes of the machine were developed which are fit and suitable for Bangladesh," he said.

The URefill machine is designed to make sustainable shopping easy and accessible.

"It is simple. Once a customer buys our liquid products, be it Lifebuoy, Dove, or Sunsilk, they do not necessarily have to purchase another container in the future. They can bring their own container, simply access an URefill machine where they can refill the product in their container as per their requirement. No new plastic container is involved in this process. Customers get their products at a more affordable price and the environment is not burdened with more plastic waste. Win-win for all of us," Shadman explained.

Initiatives like URefill have the potential to make a long-term impact among consumers.

By using the same bottle repeatedly, consumers become an active part of a new beginning - a much-anticipated industry-wide shift against plastic waste. It promotes the practice of reusing plastic packaging. It is not only confined to the idea of everyday convenience but also about making sustainability a lifelong habit.

By refilling, consumers reduce their plastic footprint by 90% each time they use the URefill machine.

"It is wonderful to see an overwhelming response from our customers and partners. This has been initially rolled out in Badda markets; we are scaling up our initiative and rolling out more machines in the coming months to meet the growing interest of consumers and retail shops," Shadman said.

The initiative also provides significant savings, with refills offering about 20% savings per serve, compared to purchasing regular packs.

Unilever Bangladesh has initially rolled out URefill machines in Badda markets. "We are scaling up our initiative and rolling out more machines in the coming months to meet the growing interest of consumers and retail shops," said Shadman.

The potential for URefill extends beyond urban markets.

"Any kind of FMCG liquid products such as handwash liquid, dishwash liquid or detergent liquid can be part of the refill machine. This model can be expanded to other options like B2B, university campuses, hostels, and industrial factories for flexible usages," he added.