The Austrian shopfitting specialist umdasch offers a wide range of sustainable solutions for retailers and consumers. These include furniture, such as the GreenShelf, a shelf made of natural materials, such as pressed rice husks, as well as concepts, such as refurbishing, in which entire shop fittings are restored. One particular innovation is the “Liquid Dispenser” refilling system, which allows customers to refill liquid products, such as detergents, thereby reducing the consumption of plastic. The installation of the Liquid Dispenser at Sainsbury’s in the United Kingdom is another milestone in sustainable shopping. In cooperation with the British supermarket chain and Ecover, a manufacturer of ecological cleaning products, a refilling system has, once again, been installed outside the German-speaking area. If the first test run is successful, the system will be rolled out.
Sainsbury’s is testing a new refill service for Ecover cleaning products at its Harringay supermarket in North London to help consumers reduce their plastic waste. As part of an initiative to become greener, the supermarket giant will allow consumers to bring their empty Ecover bottles and fill them with dishwashing detergent or washing liquid via the Liquid Dispenser. Alternatively, consumers will be able to buy specially provided bottles and reuse them up to 50 times.
In Line with the Zeitgeist
The significant installation of the Liquid Dispenser is the result of close collaboration between Ecover, Sainsbury’s supermarket, and The Store Makers. “Many essential factors have to be taken into account for refilling in chain-store retailing, be it simple handling, logistical processes, or staff training,” explains Robert Hauptmann, Sales Director at umdasch. The successful cooperation has proven that this can be achieved. “At Ecover, we want to question the idea of single use packaging. This partnership with Sainsbury’s is an important step in the process of launching our “Refillution®” in the UK and to achieving our goal of making refilling more accessible to everyone,” says Tom Domen, Global Head of Long-Term Innovation at Ecover.
The Liquid Dispenser, which is made by umdasch, makes it possible to fill liquid products, such as detergent, into reusable containers. The whole process is drip-free, clean, and customer-friendly: Consumers receive step-by-step instructions via a display. The task is easy to understand: Using the device, you simply scan the EAN code of the empty bottle, wait for the product and the correct filling tap to be recognized, place the bottle underneath the tap, press the illuminated start button, wait for a brief moment, then remove the printed receipt. The Liquid Dispenser is absolutely in line with the zeitgeist: uncomplicated handling and outstanding design with a claim to environmental protection – in other words, “convenient and more sustainable” than using single-use packaging.
Market Study
The development of the Liquid Dispenser was preceded last year by a market study: umdasch The Store Makers asked more than 1,000 consumers in the German-speaking area about the need for possibilities of reusing packaging or buying without packaging. The results speak for themselves: 92 % of consumers want alternatives to disposable packaging.
Marginalie
About umdasch
Rooted in craftsmanship, visionary in the digital, always focused on a human aim and one goal: to execute the completion of successful stores in the fields of Lifestyle Retail, Food Retail, Premium Retail, and Digital Retail. With more than 1,500 employees, umdasch The Store Makers is one of the leading shopfitting companies in Europe. The company headquarters are located in Amstetten, Austria. With approximately 20 branches in Europe and the Middle East, umdasch and its four operating divisions execute more than 7,000 store projects, including 200 turnkey projects in the role of as general contractor, on an annual basis. umdasch and its sister companies Doka and Umdasch Group Ventures, as well as more than 180 production, logistics, and sales branches in 70 countries, have been owned by the Umdasch family for more than 150 years. More information: www.umdasch.com
