REUSE FOUNDATION

We were proud to present Refill Works! as a finalist in the BE: Impact prize, at the Blue Earth Summit in London. This was an excellent opportunity to get our message in front of prospective investors and supporters, as we move towards its full launch in a few months.

In other news, and aswe head into the busiest shopping season, it’s good to see growing opportunities for consumers to vote with their wallets and support brands investing in reuse. Here are some pieces from this month’s newsletter that show how leading brands in personal care are working closely with packaging providers to offer new options.

BVLGARIcollaborated with Aptar Beauty to make its Le Gemme Tygar perfume available in a small bottle: ideal for a quick holiday visit. The 10ml Nomad Refill is easily topped up from its full-size counterpart.

L’Oréal Travel Retailis also setting out its goal to increase sales of refill formats to account for 10% of all sales by 2030, reflecting particularly strong demand from Gen Z shoppers for sustainable beauty products in duty free. The parent company’s promotions continue to urge buyers to “join the refill movement.”
One reason is the impressive sales L’Oréal group is seeing from refill ranges- Kiehl’s refillable packaging increased sales by 38%, while saving 110 tonnes of plastic.

It’s also encouraging to see that packaging specialist Amcor is expanding its rangeof refillable and refill packaging for the beauty and personal care sector. It reports that around two-thirds of consumers bought a refill pouch in the past year.

Discussions at an SPC Advance 2026 sessionmeanwhile focused on the importance of durability of the original packaging – especially when consumers expect refills to cost less. This is a key principle REUSE Foundation applied in the choice of the bottles used for Refill Works!, our initiative to tackle single-use plastic sachets for beauty products in rural India. Read on and see you next month![Image Credit: © Blue Earth Summit]

Circular Action Alliance submitted a revised California program plan to CalRecycle on October 13, including proposed producer fee rates for 2027. CAA chief of staff Shane Buckingham said a conditionally approved plan “is considered approved during that period.” More than 2,400 public comments followed a 60-day review period. It’s thought to be a major milestone in implementing SB 54, which is planned to be implemented at the start of 2027.[Image Credit: © Circular Action Alliance]

Germany’s Ministry for Finance proposed draft legislation for a plastic tax of €550 per ton on packaging, flexibles and composite materials containing over 5% plastic, with a planned July 2027 start. Recycled plastics could be exempt if producers apply. Environmental group DUH welcomed the move but wants it limited to single-use packaging. Industry bodies PlasticsEurope Germany, IK and VDMA criticized the fast-tracked legislative process. [Image Credit: © Calvin Sihongo on Unsplash]

Canada’s Supreme Court agreed to hear a case deciding whether Ottawa’s ban on six single-use plastic items, including straws, cutlery and six-pack rings, can remain in force. A 2023 Federal Court ruling found the government’s toxic listing of plastic items too broad, but the Federal Court of Appeal overturned that decision in January, finding the listing reasonable. Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin’s office said the ban stays active pending appeal. [Image Credit: © FlyD on Unsplash]

L'Oréal Travel Retail and Avolta agreed a joint sustainability-linked business plan at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes, aiming for refill formats to reach 10% of fragrance category sales by 2030. The partners cited data showing 80% of Gen Z shoppers want sustainable beauty products in duty free. The plan targets lower transport emissions through low-emission transport modes and optimized truckload capacity.[Image Credit: © L’Oréal S.A.]

Reckitt’s paper-based pack for Finish dishwashing tablets, developed with Mondi in Poland, won a 2026 Australian Good Design Award in the Communication Design category. The pack is 75% paper-based, protects humidity-sensitive tablets and offers a kerbside recycling path once consumers remove its plastic zipper. Development took four years and more than 55 production trials. Reckitt estimates the change could remove about 48 tonnes of plastic annually and expects “1 in 2 Finish tablet packs sold will now be on our paper-based packaging range.” [Image Credit: © Reckitt]

Clean Guy launched patented 2-in-1 packaging holding 100 loads of cold-water detergent and 100 built-in dryer sheets in a single bottle. The concentrated, low-suds formula uses six enzymes, and contains no added dyes. The company says concentrating detergent into a compact bottle and combining it with dryer sheets reduces overall packaging compared with buying separate products.[Image Credit: © Clean Guy]

Speaking at RCon 2026 in St. Louis, SC Johnson CEO Fisk Johnson said voluntary company efforts on plastic waste have hit their limits, stating, “to meet our shared goals we need government regulation.” He said refill systems begun more than 15 years ago have struggled to scale because cost and convenience outweigh consumer concern. Johnson favors extended producer responsibility, adding that “we know EPR works.” About 30% of SC Johnson’s packaging is recycled material, and the company targets 60% recycled content by 2030.[Image Credit: © S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc.]