Amcor has announced that it will continue to produce containers for the Refill Coalition’s work with Ocado Retail in the UK. The project is the first by a major supermarket to pilot reusable packaging, enabling Ocado Retail to deliver online orders for everyday products in refillable packaging. When a delivery arrives, consumers are encouraged to hand back empty containers, which are then cleaned and prepared for reuse. The announcement coincides with a new report published by the Refill Coalition’s facilitator, GoUnpackaged, which utilised the trial data to determine the benefits of the project.
Amcor
Amcor continues supplying containers for the Refill Coalition’s work with Ocado Retail
Amcor designed and manufactured the 2 kg and 3 kg refillable containers for the project. The former is ideal for dry foods, while the narrower opening of the 3 kg container is designed for liquid filling. The final containers were created in close collaboration with Ocado Retail and the Refill Coalition, with the container shape meeting the differing environments across its usage cycle. Additionally, they had to be free from trap points to enable effective washing ahead of refilling.
The design aims to maximise space in the delivery case, with the square base and soft rounded shoulders ensuring rinsing and emptying are done correctly. Meanwhile, the handle was added to make handling comfortable throughout its entire lifecycle. In terms of material choice, Amcor needed to optimise safety and hygiene for food contact, while also ensuring the material can withstand a hot wash. The company worked on a thicker wall, guaranteeing the container is robust and resistant during the washing process.
“We’re proud to be involved in a project that looks to redefine the nature of packaging for the future,” said Florent Souty, General Manager, Blow Moulding Specialities (BMS) at Amcor and a member of the Refill Coalition’s advisory panel. “By proving the potential for large-scale infrastructure, and planting the seeds for changes to consumer behaviour, we can support the latest findings from GoUnpackaged and its partners in the Refill Coalition.”
GoUnpackaged’s “A 30%+ reuse future for the UK” report indicates that by moving to 30% reuse in the UK retail sector, we could see an 95% reduction in CO2e emissions and an annual £136 million saving by reducing extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR) costs.
Catherine Conway, Reuse Lead at GoUnpackaged, added, “We estimate each container can be refilled between 50 and 100 times before being removed from circulation, so the ongoing data from Ocado Retail will be critical to definitively establishing the recommended usage. Everything we’re seeing to date aligns with our estimate, and the quality of the packaging solution devised by Amcor is hugely important to the success of the project.”
“Ocado Retail has been a leading force in accelerating the adoption of reusable packaging across the wider UK retail sector. Ocado’s pioneering online reuse system has been a significant success, surpassing commercial, operational, customer, and environmental targets since its launch in 2024. The scheme is now being expanded to more Customer Fulfilment Centres (CFCs), reaching 90% of our customer base and increasing the product range, making reuse more accessible to customers and setting a new industry standard,” concluded Laura Fernandez, Senior Sustainability Manager at Ocado Retail. “We played a key role on the expert Advisory Panel for the GoUnpackaged research published last summer, which focused on achieving a 30%+ reuse future for the UK, demonstrating the benefits of reuse at scale. Furthermore, the business was instrumental in establishing the Reuse Packaging Partnership (RPP), a collective commitment uniting major UK retailers to scale reuse, boost packaging circularity, and guide customers toward a more sustainable future.”