World Refill Day

Globally, less than 2% of consumer packaging is reusable, which means that a large portion of it is ending up in landfills.

And even the items that are recycled take up a great deal of energy to make the processes work. This event focuses on the reduction in consumer products packaging that isn’t refillable, and the reuse of those that are.

The big push is for companies and governments to change their laws and processes, but individuals can also get involved in this important call-to-action!

Consumer advocates, brand representatives, community groups and everyday activists are all invited to make a difference by banding together and supporting the efforts of World Refill Day!

1803
Early deposit-return on bottles in the UK
A British soft drink producer offers a refund for returned bottles, providing one of the earliest documented deposit-return systems for reusable beverage containers.
1870s–1880s
Bottle deposits spread in the United States
American beverage companies begin adding refundable deposits to glass bottles, encouraging customers to return containers for washing and refilling rather than disposal.
1907
Bakelite ushers in the age of fully synthetic plastics
Chemist Leo Baekeland invents Bakelite, the first fully synthetic plastic, helping to launch a plastics industry that will later dominate disposable packaging.
1955
“Throwaway living” captures the rise of disposables
Life magazine popularizes the idea of “Throwaway Living,” celebrating single-use items and signaling a cultural shift away from refill, repair, and reuse toward disposable consumer goods.
1973
PET beverage bottles are patented
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are patented and soon adopted by soft drink makers, rapidly expanding lightweight, single-use plastic beverage packaging worldwide.
2018
Global Commitment on a New Plastics Economy
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and UNEP launch the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, pushing governments and companies to eliminate unnecessary plastic and increase reusable packaging.
March 2, 2022
UN launches talks on a global plastics treaty
UN member states adopt UNEA Resolution 5/14 in Nairobi, starting negotiations for a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution and explicitly promoting circular approaches that include reuse and refill systems.

How to Celebrate World Refill Day

Make a big difference in eco-friendly and sustainability by celebrating World Refill Day with some of these ideas:

Use Refillable Items

Reusable water bottles and coffee cups are just the beginning of the ways consumers can act in honor of World Refill Day.

Create new habits in shopping that include purchasing from companies that offer refills of hand soaps, laundry detergents, cosmetics, household cleaners and more.

In addition, avoid purchasing fruit, vegetable and other produce items that are sold in single-use plastic containers, instead opting for those that are package free.

Change Take Away Food Habits

Studies have shown that take-away food containers are among the top ten items that are found on beaches around the world after washing up from the ocean.

Either choose to pack a lunch from home that allows reusable containers or, when eating out, choose a place that uses real dishes and a dishwasher instead of getting everything in to-go containers.

Advocate for World Refill Day

As a concerned consumer, consider World Refill Day as an opportunity to use that voice to make a difference with some favorite companies.

Grab some friends, do some petition signing and call upon brands and companies to start treating the planet more responsibly by offering more sustainable packaging options–both on this day and all throughout the year!

History of World Refill Day

World Refill Day got its start in 2021 as part of a refill initiative that began in the UK with the desire to reduce waste, particularly plastic.

Its initiatives are suppored by the City to Sea environmental organization in the UK.

The intention of this conservation effort is to encourage people to be more aware of the waste of single-use products, more conscientious about the products they choose to consume, and more actively involved in remembering to refill rather than purchase.

The event is part of a larger movement to end single-use containers, sponsored by ‘Refill’ and ‘City to Sea Campaign’ which works to make it easier to live life with less plastic.

The campaign is calling for not only consumers to do better, but also for companies to work harder in their manufacturing processes.

The call of the Refill movement is for 5% of packaging to be reusable by 2026 and 30% by 2030, in the UK and throughout the world.

The effort is to make a change in legislation with legally binding targets for reduction and reuse. In addition, the movement is asking for policy makers to support the Reuse Manifesto provided on the Refill movement website.

Facts About World Refill Day

Refillable Bottles Once Dominated Soft Drink Sales

In the early decades of the soft drink industry, refillable, deposit-bearing glass bottles were the standard format rather than the exception.

Historical accounts of Coca-Cola’s U.S. operations show that returnable glass bottles were introduced around the turn of the 20th century and remained the primary packaging format for decades, only beginning to lose ground after the spread of disposable aluminum cans and plastic bottles in the mid‑20th century.

Global Mapping Finds Nearly 1,200 Active Reuse and Refill Initiatives

A 2022 peer-reviewed assessment of reuse systems worldwide cataloged 1,196 active initiatives operating across 119 countries, including refill-at-home, refill-on-the-go, business-to-business pools, and package-free retail models.

The authors note that while these efforts still represent a small share of global packaging, they show that reuse is already being implemented in highly diverse economic and cultural contexts.

Package-Free Stores Are the Single Largest Reuse Business Model

Within that global mapping of reuse solutions, package-free stores emerged as the most common business model, with 557 initiatives identified.

These outlets typically allow customers to bring their own containers to purchase foods, cleaning supplies, and personal care products in bulk, illustrating how retail formats are evolving to support everyday refilling.

Culture Change Is Seen as More Important Than Technology for Reuse Growth

Operators surveyed in the “Global Landscape of Reusable Solutions” study ranked campaigns that normalize reuse behaviors as the single most important factor for scaling their initiatives.

Respondents placed these awareness and behavior-change efforts ahead of access to finance, logistics, or new technology, suggesting that social acceptance can be a bigger barrier than infrastructure.

Converting a Fifth of Plastic Packaging to Reuse Could Unlock Billions in Value

Analysis by Closed Loop Partners estimates that shifting just 20% of global single-use plastic packaging to reusable formats could create around 10 billion U.S. dollars in business opportunity.

The firm attributes this potential to cost savings in materials and transport, as well as new revenue streams tied to branding, customer loyalty, and digital tracking of durable containers.

Durable Reusable Containers Can Displace Huge Volumes of Single-Use Packs

One industry assessment of refill models calculated that a single long-life container designed for more than 60 uses, if refilled weekly at scale within a product system, could replace over 1.4 billion single-use packages annually.

The scenario highlights how modest shifts in container design and user habits can translate into outsized reductions in disposable packaging demand.

Single-Use Food and Beverage Packaging Is Among the Top Items in Global Beach Litter

UN Environment Programme reviews and Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup data show that plastic beverage bottles, bottle caps, food wrappers, and takeaway containers consistently rank among the most frequently collected items on beaches worldwide.

Analyses trace much of this debris to single-use packaging, underscoring why refillable formats for drinks and food service are central to efforts to reduce marine plastic pollution.

World Refill Day FAQs

What is the difference between “refill” and “reuse,” and why does it matter for packaging?

In packaging, “refill” usually means adding product back into a container the customer already has, either at home (such as concentrate refills) or at a store counter or dispenser.

“Reuse” is broader and covers any system where packaging is used multiple times for the same purpose, including take‑back schemes where a company collects, washes and refills its own containers.

Researchers and policymakers stress that being clear about these definitions is important, because regulations, targets and life‑cycle assessments depend on how many times a container is expected to be reused and under what conditions.

How do refill and reuse systems compare with recycling for cutting plastic waste and emissions?

Studies and policy reviews indicate that well‑designed reuse and refill systems can reduce virgin plastic use and associated carbon emissions more than recycling alone, because they avoid producing a new package each time.

Recycling still plays a role, but it typically comes after multiple reuses in the waste hierarchy.

The environmental outcome depends on factors such as how often containers are reused, transport distances and how they are washed, so not every reuse model is automatically better than every recyclable single‑use option.

What are the main barriers that stop people from using refillable and reusable packaging more often?

Consumer research finds a consistent gap between people’s stated support for reuse and their actual behavior.

Major barriers include convenience (extra effort to carry or return containers), habit, worries about hygiene, confusion about how schemes work, and a perception that refills may be more expensive or less “premium.”

Studies in Europe and North America show that even when many shoppers say they like the idea of refill, only a much smaller share regularly go out of their way to use these options.

Why do businesses say it is hard to switch from single‑use packaging to refill and reuse models?

Companies report that moving to reuse or refill requires heavy upfront investment in new packaging, logistics, washing facilities and digital tracking, all while existing systems are optimized for disposables.

Industry analyses also point to a lack of common standards, evolving regulations, and uncertainty about real customer uptake, which makes it risky to commit capital at scale.

Even large pilots have struggled when return rates stayed low or operations proved more complex and costly than expected.

How are governments using policy to encourage reusable and refillable packaging?

Governments are beginning to build reuse into packaging and waste laws, largely through extended producer responsibility rules and updated packaging regulations.

In the European Union, for example, reforms to packaging and packaging‑waste legislation aim to cut overall packaging, increase recycling and create more space for reuse targets and refill systems.

Some jurisdictions are going further by requiring food and beverage businesses to accept customer containers for takeaway items or by setting design and performance criteria for reusable packaging.

Are refillable food and drink containers safe from a health perspective?

Public‑health agencies state that reusable food containers can be used safely if they are made from food‑grade materials, are easy to clean and are washed and dried thoroughly between uses.

Guidance from health authorities recommends cleaning with hot water and detergent or in a dishwasher if appropriate, sanitizing when possible, and keeping separate containers for raw and ready‑to‑eat foods to avoid cross‑contamination.

Single‑use takeaway containers are not always suitable for repeated reuse, especially if they are hard to clean or not designed for long‑term food contact.

What makes a refill or reuse system genuinely “circular” instead of just a marketing claim?

Experts on circular economy policy argue that a refill or reuse system is only genuinely circular if it significantly reduces virgin material use and waste over the full life cycle, not just in appearance.

That typically means standardized durable packaging, high return and reuse rates, efficient transport and washing, and clear measurement of how many times each item is reused.

Initiatives such as the Consumers Beyond Waste guidelines are working on common metrics so companies and regulators can distinguish effective circular systems from short‑lived or lightly used schemes that mainly serve as branding.