A recent study by Deloitte showed that consumers cited ‘schemes to remove plastics and packaging’ as their top priority for living sustainability.

Bare + Fair in Woking continues to provide just that, stocking a wide range of refillable products. Mel Hemmings, the store’s founder, got in touch to tell us more.

“We now stock about 240 refillable products, including food, toiletries, household cleaning products, skincare and beauty. About a third of these are sourced on a fully circular supply, meaning we source in bulk and when our bulk containers are empty they go back to the suppliers to be reused and refilled. We’re always working to source as many products as we can in this way and put the circular economy into practice.”

“The majority of our remaining products are sourced in plastic-free packaging which is either reused or recycled. We’re also working with several companies on pioneering circular returns schemes (where refilling in-store is not possible). Customers can return the empty packaging which we send back to the suppliers to be reused and refilled. Our two most recent launches of this kind are refillable candles and nail varnish, which have been extremely popular!”

“Every month we estimate the number of single use containers our local community of ‘Refillutionaries’ save by refilling their household essentials with us (based on 500ml/g average container size). Last year this totalled 22,408 containers. I think this demonstrates how collectively small actions add up to make a big difference. I’m hoping we can double that total this year.”

Mel’s tip’s on getting started

“We always recommend starting with just one or two products. Hand soap and washing up liquid, or herbs and spices are easy ones to try first. Once you’ve found a system that works for you and your household, it’s then easy to add in more and more products to refill. We encourage our customers to reuse what they already have and bring their own containers from home, but we do have jars, bottles and bags available to buy in the shop too.”

“I love seeing all the different containers people bring in to reuse and refill, and how creative people get with it. The bravest one I saw was someone filling a freezer bag with washing up liquid! But it worked!”

For more information about Bare + Fair, its values and why Mel started the business, check out the website.

Happy refilling!