Member Article

100% growth in refill sales as consumers reduce plastic usage

Eco-conscious brand, Faith in Nature, has seen sales of its 5-litre refill packs more than double in the last 12 months as consumers seek ways to reduce their use of plastic.

The £5 million brand, established 45 years ago and based in Radcliffe, has always made a selection of its hair and body care plus household products, available in 5-litre packs.

But much as the brand had worked to establish in-store re-fill stations within the independent health food sector and the option to return a 5 litre packs for re-cycling, consumer interest was minimal – until the Blue Planet plastics episode in December 2017. Since then, demand has been steadily increasing as consumers recognise that they need to do their bit to cut down on plastic usage.

In 2017, 5 litre sales were tracking at around £250,000 for the company, whereas this year they expect sales to exceed £1m. Over the last year alone, sales are up 112 per cent.

Faith in Nature CEO Joy Parkinson commented on the increased sales, saying, “As an ethical and eco-friendly brand, we take our responsibilities to the planet, our customers and the community very seriously so we are delighted to see that more and more consumers are looking to make buying decisions which respect the environment. We have been leading the way in plastic reduction offering larger refill packs since 1979.

“With consumer awareness at an all-time high, what was needed was the buy-in of retailers and this has been the big shift in recent months. Look at the Waitrose ‘bring your own containers’ scheme – we need more like this.

“More and more shops are contacting us about our refill packs which is a great sign. The consumer will is out there; it’s incumbent on the sector to make it more accessible on the high street.”

Faith in Nature’s 5 litre refill packs can be returned to Faith for recycling and the consumer gets 20% off their next 5 litre purchase.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Charlotte Gribbin .