På(fyll) eliminates plastic waste with circular home refill service

Global plastic pollution continues unabated, despite efforts to reduce plastic waste, especially single-use plastics. One potential solution – plastic recycling – doesn’t always work as intended.

“Recycling is only one step better than landfill. Today only 9 per cent of plastic waste is recycled globally,” explains Ho. “We need circular business models that don’t produce plastic waste in the first place.”

Read more: Every year, over 350 million tons of plastic waste are generated

På(fyll) provides home delivery of household products in reusable containers. Commonly used products such as detergents, soaps and sprays are ordered online and refilled in a circular system that creates no plastic waste.

“We hope it’s easy to fall in love with På(fyll),” says Ho. “Our service is convenient, affordable and sustainable. We ensure you always have the household products you already use, especially those that are the heaviest and the least interesting to shop for in person.”

“In addition, our products are priced competitively, and you don’t pay extra for the sustainability that comes from our circular business model,” he adds.

To use the service, shoppers place an online order and receive freshly filled containers on their doorstep. Then they fill up their own dispensers with the product from the container. To reorder, users scan the QR code on the container or go to pafyll.com. Empty containers are left on the doorstep for collection. Containers are washed, refilled, and used again and again.

The refill service provides an eco-friendly way for people to buy typical household products. “På(fyll) is circular by design. This means that every single purchase has a positive impact. We aim to drive systemic change by creating a totally different system,” says Ho.

Read more: We cannot recycle our way out of the plastic problem

This is borne out in a recent research study, which found that reusable containers, like those used by På(fyll), have a 65 to 80 per cent lower environmental impact than single-use packaging. På(fyll)’s containers can be used 10 times before they are sent for recycling.

Moreover, the study shows that high return rates and proper handling of reusable packaging, which På(fyll) ensures, are crucial for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the value chain.

The global market for household cleaning products is expected to reach USD 355 billion by 2030, with an annual growth rate of more than 4.8 percent. Meanwhile, consumers’ desire for sustainability in packaging is on the rise.

På(fyll) is well positioned to take part in this growth. The company has spent the past three years ensuring the viability of its business model. After pilot testing, På(fyll) had a successful B2C soft launch in Norway in 2023 and will carry out a formal launch in spring 2024.

Also in 2024, the company will move into the B2B market following unexpectedly high interest from the business community. It also plans to enter international markets across Europe. På(fyll) is backed by Orkla Home and Personal Care, a Nordic conglomerate operating globally in the branded consumer goods sector, among others.