Consumers may be returning to the days of refilling their milk, soda, and orange juice in reusable glass bottles.
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, several large brands are launching pilot programs in an effort to discard the use of single-use plastic containers and return to glass bottles for juice and milk, as well as steel refillable containers for shampoo and deodorant.
Large brands such as Pepsi, Unilever, and Proctor and Gamble are launching pilot programs in the coming months in major cities in the U.S. and in Europe.
It’s a step in the right direction, says Nicole Capretz, executive director for the Climate Action Campaign in San Diego.
“It’s like there’s ten layers of plastic for every single item and then, unfortunately, all of that just goes to the landfill or into our oceans,” said Capretz.
Beginning in May of this year, Unilever, the maker of Axe and Dove deodorant, as well as numerous other brands, will roll out new packaging for those brands. That packaging will consist of steel containers that can be refilled when empty. One container, according to the Wall Street Journal’s article, could save up to 100 plastic containers.
Other brands looking to toss plastic to the side is PepsiCo. Also this year in select cities, the company will begin selling their Tropicana Orange Juice in glass bottles.
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Proctor and Gamble, maker of Tide Laundry Detergent, also plans to use stainless steel containers.
“It’s really exciting to see that there are some companies that are stepping outside their comfort zone and saying to us, ‘hey, we have a solution. Let’s try this out,'” said Capretz.
“The good news is that consumers have spoken and companies are responding.”
