Hi there,
Every time I put an empty, but perfectly reusable, product container in my recycling bin, I wish I was toting it to the store to refill. My local grocery store has a large bulk foods section where you can fill containers with everything from soy sauce to cooking oils to maple syrup. Wouldn't it be fantastic to have a similar setup for refilling things like laundry detergent, dish soap, countertop cleaner, etc.
It seems like a company as progressive as Seventh Generation should lead the way for installing refill stations in the stores that sell its products. Think of how much packaging you could avoid making. Recycling is fine, but considering the resources used in recycling all these containers, not to mention in their original production - it hardly makes me feel much better. Plus, if you passed some of that savings on to the consumer, people might be more likely to make the investment in healthier, although frequently more expensive, "green cleaners".
It's not the packaging that I want to buy over and over - it's what's inside. Please give me a way to do that!
Respectfully,
An Austin Mom
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Soap making simplified
It can be a fun experience to prepare home-made soap on your own, but you will have to find out the best soap making supplies in your vicinity and place an order for all the required materials at a single time, and nothing can be as helpful as using an online store for making purchases.
Soap making becomes easier
It can be a fun experience to prepare home-made soap on your own, but you will have to find out the best soap making supplies in your vicinity and place an order for all the required materials at a single time, and nothing can be as helpful as using an online store for making purchases.
Refill Station at My Co-op
We have a refill station at my co-op in Belfast, ME. It's really cool and easy to use. I wonder why it took so long for companies to develop one. It seems like something that would gain much support. I called the company, Sun and Earth, about refills for other products and they said they have a new design that they are working on.
A group of us joke that we're starting a company that makes just bulk refill products. Seems like a good enough idea.
2012 update
It's been nearly 4 years since the original suggestion of refill stations was posted. What progress has 7th gen made in developing and implementing these units? I'm not impressed by the cardboard bottles design. I'd love to just bring back the bottles I keep buying to refill them instead of recycle.
Thanks to the other posts that suggest alternative companies that do have refill stations. I've been a very happy 7th gen customer for several years, but recycling is just not good enough for me anymore.
Reply to shanejohn :Bulk refill in Cali
There is a store called Green11 ( http://shopgreen11.com/home ) in San Francisco.
And they carry Earth Friendly and Biokleen Products(unfortunately they do not carry 7Gen).
You can actually refill there all your personal care and cleaning products, you just have to bring your own container.
They have everything You could possibly need except toothpaste and deodorant.
Bulk refill in Cali???
Ladida1977,
Where is the bulk soap refill located in CALIFORNIA???
New product
Hello eveyone, I am happy to tell you that we have just introduced a new laundry product. It is called 4X concentrate AND it is in a cardboard bottle, with a recyclable bag inside. Here is the link to our web page to tell you all about this wonderful new concentrated laundry detergent: http://www.seventhgeneration.com/4X-Laundry-Detergent. This is the link to the scented version, we also have this in Free & Clear. ~~Sue
Agree!
Maybe follow this model:
http://commongoodandco.com/site/bulk.html
Refilling in California
Earth Friendly Products are all available in BULK....THE LINE EARTH FRIENDLY. 55 gallon drums of laundry soap, and gallon cleaners of EVERY TYPE are available. Seventh Generation is OK...but the marketing of little bottles should come to an END when it comes to GREEN GOODS!!! We DEMAND reusable, refills, and less waste!!! We opened a bulk soap shop in CALIFORNIA where you can refill your containers. We did this because a lot of our "favorite" green brands weren't doing it FOR US!!! NOW WE USE ONLY BIOKLEEN AND THE EARTH FRIENDLY LINE. BULK FOR ALLLLL! Natures Gate is no good, and seventh generation needs to get on the ball. I mean, You see it at TARGET. LAME. GO GREEN...REFILL!!!
YES ON REFILL - GREAT IDEA!
I think the person is onto something. Something like what they do for Coke products and Wine boxes. Store slip the bag into the advertising dispenser and there is a level (locked so children won't accidental turn it on) to dispense the product into reusable bottles. I'm all for less disposable waste and smaller landfills.
GREEN FOREST REFILL STATION
Hello I am here to tell you about a company based in Miami Florida called Environmental Control Group Partners.
We are currently working on a project called the Green Forest Initiative Refill Station.
You can check out the machine at WWW.GREENREFILL.INFO there you will find a video demonstration by the company CEO Henry Pino. Along with the video I ask you to please sign a petition, I ask you all to please sign it in order to bring our product into your area in the next year or so. I hope you enjoy learning about our product and we are as excited as you about the green movement.
YES YES YES YES YES PLEASE ON THE REFILL IDEA, AND IF NOT:
PLEASE SELL LARGER BULK SIZES. ALSO, CAN YO PLEASE TELL ME WHY I CAN'T SEEM TO FIND THE NATURAL CARPET SPOT & STAIN REMOVER ANYWHERE??? IT'S MY FAVORITE PRODUCT, AND MIRACULOUS ON PET STAINS, AND I CAN'T SEEM TO FIND IT EVEN ON YOUR WEBSITE.. :(((
PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHERE I CAN PURCHASE OR WHY IT'S BEEN DISCONTINUED...
THANK YOU FOR DOING WHAT YOU DO!! AND EVERYONE, IF YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT BEING AN ENVIRONMENTALIST, PLEASE GO VEGAN!!! :)
Refill BAGS (Like Method)
OK, in the meantime, how about refill bags like what Method sells for their hand soaps. This should be an easy solution to implement while saving a significant amount of packaging yes? Akin to the baggies of milk sold in Canada...which coincidently also have many more refill bags of other items as well.
Refill me, please!
It really pains me to buy single-use bottles of ANYTHING, especially household cleansers like laundry soap and multi-surface cleaner. Please give some consideration to offering super-concentrated refill packs that we can purchase and reconstitute in our existing 7G containers!!! Less waste and good quality control. Everyone wins!
The refills issue solved
We are developing a vending station that will allow any size bottle. We have the prototype designs done and plan have a demo unit running in one of our local stores by the end of May 2010. We are likely going to start with one or two brands during our demo. Stay tuned
The refills issue
I can understand the challenges of setting up refill stations in stores, etc. but what is the challenge with just making available larger refill bottles like so many other companies out there do who don't even claim to be environmentally conscious? One larger bottle could possibly fill up at least ten of the small spray or squeeze bottles. That would amount to a lot collectively. My Natural Warehouse store owner said it was a space issue. I say... bunk! It's got to be a profit issue! If it is truly a space issue, then please sell it at COSTCO, Lowe's and Home Depot... they've got lots of space.
This forum has been going on since August 2008. If this is important as you say above, are investigating it, have pondered this idea/concept in the past and have shared it with Market and Development, why DON'T you put it on the immediate forefront? It's obvious the demand by the consumer is here.
Come on Seventh Generation," put your money where your mouth is"!
Reply to ariggs
Thanks for the suggestion and I will be happy to send this information along to product management.
yes to refills
Couldn't you sell large refill bags or concentrated tabs through Costco? (beta test it on the wild orange and cedar spice natural kitchen cleaner, please!)
Reply to dcadran
Sue here and we are always looking for how we can meet our and your sustainability goals and I know, sometimes it feels like we will never get there. I will share with product development and marketing, this really doesn't go on deaf ears. Thanks for contributing to the conversation.
YES YES YES. This is where
YES YES YES. This is where we should be heading. Seventh Generation could perhaps team up with some retailers and have refill stations/kiosks. Or sell products in bulk sizes with features that would make it easy to refill the smaller containers.
Reply to - ladida1977
Thank you for touching base with us via this forum. While this is not on the immediate forefront it is an idea / concept that we've pondered in the past. There are many logistical challenges to this and too many to list in this forum. Regardless of those challenges, any creative idea has possibilities and we do not believe an idea is dead just because it is not easy. With that said, I would welcome you to e-mail us with your contact information if this opportunity comes to fruition in the future. http://www.seventhgeneration.com/contact-us)
I thank you again for your interest and all the folks that have added to this post since it started in August.
Can I Be That Gal?
I am soooo very ready to open up a refill station at my local co op so We can all stop throwing this plastic in the bins! I wish Seventh Generation had bulk soap like biokleen so we as everyday Joes can distribute this for them locally and in bulk, people can bring in whatever they want to fill up and be on there way. Kudos to any one doing this already. This could be a reality for anyone...
Reply to hughesey
It would be so great if this was truly an easy solution,,AND I am happy to share that we do have 2x concentrates in most sizes and scents across our liquid laundry detergents. We are working on the Baby and Delicate detergents. We will have a multi-surface concentrated cleaner available in half of the Target stores for mid-Oct. We do understand that concentrates are a great way to reduce water being transported, and this is a real goal for Seventh Generation.
Laundry Detergents
I haven't used laundry detergents in over 6 years. Most people do not realize it isn't the soap that cleans your clothes it is the agitation of the water in your washer. Using soaps or any kind of detergents only leaves a soap scum on your clothes and this is what wears out your clothes. I also don't use cleaners. My main cleaner is white vinegar and elblow grease. No bottles to recycle or refill. Vinegar and water mixed together is an excellent cleaner for glass. Using vinegar to wipe off your counter tops cleans the germs and also makes your kitchen smell fresh. Using vinegar to clean your furniture doesn't leave a greasy finish on your furniture and dust doesn't cling as easily as it does to furniture poslish. Therefore less dusting and more time to do other chores.
refillables, bulk containers & concentrates
While we all would want an easy solution to reduce the amount of plastic bottles generated from buying ready-to-use cleaning products the simplest solution is to make every Seventh Gen product available in a super concentrate. But that would destroy their profit margin significantly as 90% of the volume of liquid in those Seventh Gen bottles is water. What you pay for is the cost to market, ship, stock & promote their brand or any brand for that matter. The ready-to-use cleaning product concept will remain in the retail sector forever. Now if you venture into a janitor supply closet in a school or office building, you will most likely see a dispenser that uses plain tap water to dilute/mix with the super concentrate cleaning product to make ready-to-use cleaners. In the commercial cleaning market for instance, it costs about .04 cents per quart to make a non-ammoniated Green Seal certified glass cleaner. See the difference and you might understand why retail is retail and "BULK" which is great for the consumer, is not so profitable for the manufacturer in the retail sector. I wouldnt hold your breath on that concept but the refillable bottle concept where you bring back your empty bottles is a brilliant concept.
Reply for sisi
Thank you for your support, love to know when our consumers LOVE US!!! We are looking into this but there are many challenges with refills that we need to investigate. We do understand why this is so important, so don't give up on us.
commercial refillables
Hi Seventh Gen, We LOVE YOU and will love you even more if you widen your market to include commercial refillables - higher ed institutions for example - what a huge market group awaiting your help. Please consider!
Great idea!
I have definitely had this thought before. I would buy green cleaners at the store if it didn't require me to recycle so many bottles. So, I make my own cleaners - just so I can reuse the bottles I have.
Blu Sudz Refill and Scenting
There is a Laundry in Phoenix that currently sells all natural 3X HE laundry detergent, fabric softener, and Oxy powder in refillable packaging. They will actually come to you/groups and fill up you bottles. They have bunch of different scents that you can add to your products at point of purchase.
There products and refill stations are being put in at 20 different laundries and dry cleaners around the Phoenix area. All you have to do is go to there website and request that they sell there products in your area and they will make the contacts with the local laundry. They will even buy your bottle back if you are not happy and dont plan on refilling.
They also promote conservation with a very unique bottle. You can order online through the contact page. Pricing was better then any of the traditional detergents and the product was just as good if not better.
Powder Refill
I only buy in bulk and have been buying other less performant products only to save on packaging. I am not interested in the liquid diswashing or laundry detergent, because the refill containers are usually small and are made of plastic. I tend to buy those in powder forms in large bins... PLease, PLease Seventh Generation: help the environment further and make your great products available in bulk!!!
why not sell even napkins in bulk?
i am not sure why nobody has ever done it...
but why not sell 100% recycled paper napkins and even other paper products in a bulk format...a big metal bin...kind of like a bigger napkin dispenser...that can hold about 5000 napkins (or individual paper towel sheets)...
then a person can just pull out...or use a tong to be cleaner...as many as they need now!
this could be put in a recycled paper bag for check out and take home storage! bar code or price code on bags!
that way we don't buy more than we need if we need less than 150 napkins, and no plastic needs to cover it at all!
Something Fot The Meantime
Hey, while you are working on the BRILLIANT idea listed above (I assume it will take quite a while to set all that up) could you please just sell larger size refills? Let's face it, we are all going to be using A LOT of this stuff over time, can you sell a larger quantity in a box (like wine-in-a-box) or something so we can refill our own bottles?
Refill Station Store in the Works
I am part of a group planning to open a chain of stores where people can "refill" their favorite products, from laundry detergent and cleaning products, to shampoo and even paper products. Not just one brand, many popular brands. If anyone wants more information, please write me at robertbilotti@comcast.net. Thanks, Robert
PLEASE!
This can be done easily - especially at small local stores - there could be a deposit exchange program OR people could just refill their own prescribed container (then they wouldn't have to worry about the cleanliness of containers). Trading of the large containers could be facilitated through the distribution companies that sell 7G products to the stores, as they have shipments going back and forth regularly, as well as sales reps that visit their stores. Shouldn't be too hard.
Our local grocery store, even though it's part of a local chain sells a brand of soap and detergent that customers just pay $1 depsoti for the container. The store collects the returned containers and they are picked up by the soap company (to be cleaned, sterilized and refilled) when they drop off a refilled order.
refill
I think its an awesome idea.There are alot of things that could be done this way.
refill station
Restore cleaning products in Minnesota already does this. It looks like they are finally branching out and sharing the idea -- www.restoreproducts.com/Refill.html
They have a head start and patents so others will probably have to work with them. I actually mentioned the idea to Method on one of their blog posts and they loved it.
It should be a machine that can be configured to handle all liquid products, including eventually food and drinks such as milk, orange juice, yogurt, etc. such that eventually there should never be a case where one would need to buy, recycle, and dispose of a bottle or container.
Not being able to refill my
Not being able to refill my 7G bottles has been an issue for me, recycling of plastics is not available in my area & I hate the idea of the bottles filling up space in a landfill. I like the idea of "re-use" drop off stations. Right now the empty bottles are taking up space under my sink.
yes!
i would love a refill station and/or larger size refills you could use at home.
Cost
As much as its a great idea and would be all about it, the cost may be too much.
Take in consideration the space needed in each store which cost money.
The start up cost just to get it going in major grocery stores.
How about setting up "re-use" drop off stations which would be located out side the stores and people would drop off their used 7G containers and 7G would pick them up periodically to have them refilled and sold again?
It's easy to establish the bins. It would be good advertising for 7G, good PR for the stores and less expensive if you subcontract the pick up or have a volunteer organization do it.
I agree!
I really think this should be researched. Heck, even most grocery stores now have those water filtration machines that you can refill bottles with. Why not something like that for the Seventh generation stuff?
Why doesnt this exist yet?
in todays world it would make sense! People would reuse bins and bottles <3 recycling it would make people like me love this world so much more.I am for this! Ohhh well ill lug around a few contrainers sure people did it for centuries !
I agree!
I think an important issue, however, would be quality-control. I like refilling stations and "serve-yourself" type products, but I am always skeptical about the cleanliness of the container used to hold the bulk supply in and the age/quality of the product inside. If these issues could be solved, I'd be 100% on-board with this idea.
Brilliant
Brilliant
Absoutely 100%
I think this is a wonderful idea.
Problem is going to be having the resources to have a representative come to the stores to refill the unites.
Although the stores could do it themselves (i myself would have issues with that). I like to know for sure what im getting.
I was just coming to 7th Gen to make the same suggestion!!
I noticed Arm and Hammer has a similar idea that I think 7th Gen should definitely do!! I don't want to buy the Arm and Hammer product because I prefer 7th Gen. but they sell Refills that you just add water to! That is so much better! We don't need to purchase more bottles or more water.
Can 7th Gen do this? Please?
refills
great idea!
I actually make my own cleaning supplies just to avoid buying excess material!
Refill stations for cleaning supplies
I LOVE her suggestion and would definitely bring my containers in to refill.