In the two months since its launch in Australia, The Body Shop’s ‘Refill Revolution’ campaign has been applauded for joining the movement towards refillable cosmetic packaging. But there have been concerns about whether the company’s packaging reforms are truly sustainable. The brand’s website claims that the campaign intends to help consumers “eliminate waste before it hits the bathroom shelf”. It also promises that “collectively we could save over 25 tonnes of plastic per year”. So why are The Body Shop’s loyal customers somewhat divided?
The Body Shop is not alone in establishing refillable packaging. It is no secret that our planet’s plastic pollution is a major problem. Craig Reucassel’s ABC television show War on Waste emphasised this, saying that, of the 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic produced globally, most of it eventually finds its way into landfill or environmental pollution.
Because of this alarming reality, numerous brands, including Dior, Nature’s Organics, Chanel, and Dove have been advertising refillable packages aimed at avoiding excessive waste.
The refillable revolution has largely been well-received. Social Media and Communications Coordinator, Liz Paganoni, is a long-time supporter of The Body Shop’s products, and was excited by the idea of reusable packaging.
“I am loving their refill concept,” she said. “[It] is such a great way to get people started on becoming more conscious consumers. I don’t think we as consumers are going to cut back the amount we consume, so if there is a way to do it that’s better for the environment, I am all for it! Any business who puts effort into the way they can help us help the environment will get my shopping dollars. For many, being eco-conscious is a concept too big to know where to start. Something as simple as the concept The Body Shop have in place to reduce plastic waste is such an easy yet effective way to get people started.”
There are, however, doubts about the campaign’s effectiveness during Covid-19 restrictions.
“At the moment with lockdowns it becomes hard to get refills, and maybe consumers will lose focus on using [them], returning to single use because that’s all they can get,” Paganoni said.
Engineering student, Liam Glen, was supportive of the ‘Refill Revolution’, but was hesitant about the process.
“I think it’s an excellent idea,” he said. “Companies moving towards reusable and recyclable products is a great step forward, and should happen in as many places as possible. [But] my concerns [about] the refillable products are over the aluminium [bottle] itself, and the refill locations. In order to have people refilling, the stations would have to be at a person’s usual store as they're unlikely to travel out of their way to do so. If people aren't refilling as much as The Body Shop expects, will they simply have the same amount of plastic waste, in addition to new aluminium entering their sale streams? If someone was to dispose of their reusable containers, can they be easily recycled or will they require more intensive material separations before it can be recycled?”
As The Body Shop management was unavailable for comment, these questions will, for now, remain unanswered.
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