Scaling Reuse and Refill in South Africa

This report synthesises implementation insights from reuse and refill systems currently operating in South Africa. It focuses specifically on local operational evidence on what is working in reuse and refill, under what conditions it works, and where the practical opportunities are for scaling and optimising reuse and refill systems in the food and beverage value chain.

This report considers all three packaging tiers:

• Primary (consumer-facing)
• Secondary (grouping, distribution and handling)
• Tertiary (transport and storage).

As more support is needed to assist in the adoption of reuse and refill in the South African context, primary packaging is the core focus of this report..

This report is relevant for:

• Brand owners and retailers
• Packaging manufacturers and converters
• Food and beverage companies
• Hospitality and food service businesses
• Logistics and distribution companies
• Reuse and refill solution providers
• Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs)
• Policymakers.

Key Insights: What is Currently Working in South Africa

Findings from operational reuse and refill systems in South Africa indicate that:

• Cost-driven reuse and refill systems outperform sustainability-framed alternatives
• Standardisation enables shared infrastructure
• Closed-loop systems reduce liability and operational risk
• Different tiers require different models and different support
• Controlled environments reduce complexity
• Scale requires collaboration.

Implementation Insights on Primary Packaging from Case Study Examples

The adoption of reuse and refill models in primary packaging has the greatest potential to reduce virgin plastic intensity and address downstream plastic leakage into the environment. Therefore, case study examples of South African businesses highlight the opportunity for reuse and refill to reduce primary packaging intensity in both low- and higher-income retail environments:

• Smartfill smart dispensers in SPAR and spaza shops: Deploying a refill system as a fully managed commercial service with on-site support to customers reduces complexity for the retailer, improves the efficiency of use for the customer and increases sales.
• Sonke’s SKUBU refill store: Dispensing from bulk and in smaller quantities is a significant enabler of affordability and food security in the South African context. Brands can increase access to their products by participating in bulk reuse and refill supply chains.
• Gcwalisa’s informal social franchise: Building the direct financial incentive into the system from the outset is very effective. Cost reduction is a powerful driver of adoption and, together with the affordability of small quantities, an enabler of food security. A deposit-return system provides a financial incentive for container return and enables effective closed-loop reuse.
• Nude Foods zero-waste retail: Specialist zero-waste retail works in a committed, sustainability-oriented consumer segment. Scaling to mainstream retail is expected to require standardised containers and provider-managed systems, rather than expanding consumer-managed container formats.
• Pick n Pay Constantia’s plastic-packaging-free zone: Large-format retailers can operate plastic-packaging-free zones. The constraint is operational complexity at scale and the continued availability of single-use alternatives in the store or in close proximity on the shelves. Removing single-use options would be a stronger mechanism to drive adoption than providing refill options alongside them. Internationally, success in conventional retail has been enabled by introducing prefilled reusable containers and establishing effective return networks.

Secondary Packaging: Reducing Packaging Intensity in Grouping, Distribution and Handling

The commercial case for secondary reuse in South Africa is well established. Closed-loop and deposit-return systems have been key enablers of high return rates to date. Standardisation, pooling and packaging-as-a-service models merit further exploration to optimise secondary packaging and further reduce secondary plastic-packaging intensity.

Tertiary Packaging: Reducing Packaging Intensity in Transport and Storage

For logistics companies and businesses in the food and beverage value chain that handle their own logistics, the simplest reuse models involve defined, closed-loop delivery routes with established return logistics. Conversely, more complex transport routes can benefit from packaging-as-a-service models, which offer greater operational flexibility and cost savings.

Outlook: From Pilots to Scalable Systems

Reuse and refill systems are already operational across all three packaging tiers in South Africa. The case studies and examples show that it works when the system is designed around the right conditions, i.e. when:

• Reuse saves the consumer or business money
• The reusable assets are managed by the provider
• The environment is controlled
• The infrastructure is shared rather than duplicated.

The opportunity is to move from isolated pilots to coordinated, scalable systems adapted to South African realities

Plastic Reboot – South Africa

This report was produced as part of the Plastic Reboot – South Africa project. Plastic Reboot focuses on upstream solutions – rethinking how we design, produce, and use plastic before it ever becomes waste. Supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and co-led by UNEP and World Wildlife Fund US with implementation by UNDP and UNIDO, Plastic Reboot will help the food and beverage industry to shift away from single-use plastics and towards sustainable, circular solutions. Plastic Reboot – South Africa is one of the 15 global Plastic Reboot projects.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) is the national focal point, while the national execution agency is WWF South Africa in collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and GreenCape.

Plastic Reboot – South Africa aims to reduce the volume of plastic waste generated and leaked into the environment by implementing strategic circular interventions upstream and midstream in the plastic-packaging value chain in the food and beverage sector in South Africa.