The Isle of Arran is well known for its natural beauty, but like many of Scotland’s coastal areas, it faces the growing problem of plastic pollution blighting its shores and landscapes.
In a significant step to address this, island-made bath, body and home fragrance brand ARRAN Sense of Scotland has launched its partnership with Wishaw-based returnable packaging platform Reposit to reduce waste.
ARRAN Naturals is now offering some of its most popular products in returnable packaging – adopting a proactive solution that addresses the plastic waste problem at source, before packaging becomes waste.
After Wishaw-based beauty brand Beauty Kitchen pioneered the Reposit initiative in 2019, ARRAN Naturals is now following suit in the latest push to make the beauty industry more sustainable.
By adopting Reposit’s innovative ‘return for reward’ platform, ARRAN Sense of Scotland is helping to step up the fight against plastic pollution while maximising convenience for its customers.
Stuart Chidley, co-founder of Reposit said: “This latest expansion demonstrates how we’re tackling the growing issue of single-use plastic pollution by offering innovative, scalable solutions that meet the needs of consumers and businesses.
“With increasing demand for returnable packaging, Reposit is committed to working with key names across industry to deliver scale and drive real change across multiple categories.
“As we approach our first-year milestone, this launch marks an important step in demonstrating how our platform not only supports businesses to cut down on plastic waste, but also drives behaviour change by offering rewards to consumers.
“It’s an exciting step forward in our mission to accelerate growth towards a circular economy, where reuse becomes the norm rather than the exception.”
The system is simple: customers who purchase ARRAN Naturals products in returnable packaging, such as the Awaken Mint & Eucalyptus Shampoo or Mindful Lemon & Patchouli Hand Wash, can return their empty containers for cleaning and reuse.
By scanning the QR code on the packaging, customers have the choice of returning the empty containers via their local post office at no cost, or dropping them off in one of the two ARRAN Sense of Scotland stores. Once they return the packaging, customers are rewarded with a discount voucher for future purchases.
The returned items are then professionally cleaned in Reposit’s state-of-the-art facility and put back into circulation, helping to close the loop on plastic waste.
Kevin Meechan, CEO of ARRAN Sense of Scotland added: “At ARRAN Sense of Scotland, we’re proud to introduce our new Reuse & Refill programme, in partnership with Reposit — another important step in our business’ ESG strategy & further reducing our environmental footprint.
“This initiative empowers our customers to make sustainable choices without sacrificing quality or luxury. By reusing packaging and offering prefilled returnable options, we’re actively reducing waste and contributing to a circular economy, where wellbeing-focused bath and body care go hand in hand with sustainability.
“This is just one of many actions we’ve taken as part of our broader sustainability journey.”
Jane Martin, CEO of City to Sea, provides consumer behaviour change research and insights for the project.
She said: “One year on from launch and reusable packaging schemes are gaining momentum across the country.
“Millions of people are looking to reduce their reliance on plastic, and we are pleased to help give the public access to much-loved products in a way that reduces single-use plastic.
“We look forward to seeing more brands come on board and give consumers the freedom to cut back on plastic.”
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