Nivea tests refill stations in Germany

Fighting plastic waste: In three DM stores and in Nivea stores, German customers now have the opportunity to refill their empty Creme Soft and Creme Sensitive shower gel packaging. Specially developed refill stations will be available during a project phase lasting six to eight months.

Everyone is on board with the initiative - producers, retailers and consumers, emphasizes Iain Holding, General Manager Beiersdorf Germany/Switzerland. "With this collaborative approach, we can gain the experience we need to figure out which solutions are sensible and practical to promote a circular economy."

For Sebastian Bayer, as DM Managing Director responsible for the department Marketing + ProcurementAt DM, we are aware that our customers are shopping more consciously and are willing to try out more sustainable alternatives. By testing a refill station, we want to make our contribution to raising awareness of reuse and recycling." Depending on how the offer is received by customers, further steps will be taken.

Empty bottles can be refilled up to three times and paid for at the checkout. After the third filling, consumers are asked to exchange the bottles during the test phase so that they can be examined for quality and hygiene standards. In return, they receive a new bottle and a free refill.

Ambitious sustainability targets for Beiersdorf

In May 2020, skin care company Beiersdorf committed to the Global Plastic Pledge and set three targets across all brands: By 2025, 100 percent of packaging should be refillable, reusable, or recyclable. The recycled content of plastic packaging is to increase to 30 percent and the amount of new, petroleum-based plastic used is to decrease by 50 percent. Beiersdorf will also switch 90 percent of all PET bottles in Europe to recycled plastic (rPET) by the end of 2020. This single measure alone will save more than 1,200 metric tons of virgin plastic per year. With these concrete sustainability targets in the area of packaging, Beiersdorf is guided by the principle of the circular economy: In a closed system, packaging materials are not incinerated or landfilled as waste after a single use, but are recycled.

In Switzerland, customers will have to wait for a comparable option for the time being. "Unfortunately, no project of this kind is currently planned for Switzerland," Nivea Group Beiersdorf responded to an inquiry from Werbewoche.ch.