Packaging is a pain for any green company. Recyclable is good and recycled is better, but the best kind of container is the one that can be used again as is.
Refilling containers is a trend most often embraced by coffee purveyors and 7-Elevens, but beyond your bottomless Big Gulp, some high-end New York cosmetics boutiques are catching on to the refill trend.
Word on the street is that organic cosmetics vendor Patyka will take back and refill its perfume bottles at its West Village store.
For eco-chic hair, stylist Laurent D of Privé Salon has gone with reusable bottles for his Concept Vert Rejuvenating Pure Shampoo and Conditioner, so that once these paraben- and sulfate-free products run out, you can return the containers to the salon for refilling.
As of last year, Bond No. 9 New York was accepting its own perfume bottles back for refill, although the refills then went back on the shelf with a special label and customers walked away with a freebie refillable pocket spray. Perfume bottles of all kinds were also accepted for recycling. No word on if this practice continues, but either way this trend seems to be catching on – and not just in the US either.
If you happen to be checking in from abroad, natural skin care line Nothing Nasty in the UK provides a discount to customers that bring bottles back for refill.
Hopefully this trend will continue to spread around the world, not just to cosmetics but products of all kinds. If you’d like to see it happen, don’t be shy – ask your favorite retailers for a refill!
