Promoting refills on the go this World Refill Day

Following our acquisition of Refill Return from City to Sea at the end of last year, we’ve focused on an exciting challenge: integrating the platform into the Ecosurety ecosystem and building on a decade of impactful work to make refilling on the go as easy and accessible as single-use.

A simple solution to a widespread challenge

The Refill Return app is a free, practical tool that empowers people to eat, drink and shop with less packaging waste. Whether it’s grabbing a coffee on the commute, refilling a water bottle while out and about, or shopping at zero-waste stores, the app connects users to a growing network of refill points.

The opportunity is clear. While most people already own a reusable bottle, many still don’t know where they can refill it. That gap in awareness is a key barrier - and one we’re determined to close.

World Refill Day: turning awareness into action

To build momentum, we’re launching a targeted campaign around World Refill Day, shining a spotlight on just how easy refilling can be.

The campaign brings together two powerful insights:

• People want to reduce waste
• People need simple, visible ways to take action

By promoting the app across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Google, we’re meeting audiences where they are and encouraging them to take that first step.

Crucially, we’ve made the onboarding process frictionless:

• No account required to get started
• Users can explore up to 10 refill locations immediately
• Quick, simple account creation when they’re ready

It’s designed to remove barriers and encourage trial from the outset.

A city-focused model for scalable impact

Rather than spreading efforts thinly, we’ve taken a place-based approach, focusing initially on Bristol.

This allows us to:

• Demonstrate measurable, real-world impact
• Build a dense, visible network of refill locations
• Create a scalable model that can be replicated in other cities

We’re working closely with cafés, bars and local businesses, encouraging them to join the network and visibly promote their participation with in-store materials such as window stickers—making refill not just available, but obvious.

Collaboration at the core

As with all successful circular initiatives, collaboration is key.

We’re proud to be partnering with Oasis, who are supporting the campaign and helping expand access to clean, filtered water across workplaces, hospitality settings and public spaces. This partnership is an important step in our broader ambition to scale reuse systems across the UK.

Behind the scenes, we’ve also worked with two fantastic partners:

• Enviral, who developed the creative campaign strategy and assets
• Morrow, long-standing partners of City to Sea, who have ensured the app is intuitive, fast and user-friendly

Their expertise has been instrumental in bringing this next phase of Refill Return to life.

Supporting businesses and communities

We’re also continuing to work with local authorities, businesses and community groups, who play a vital role in growing the refill network and embedding behaviour change at a local level.

For organisations looking to get involved, we offer a range of free resources to support promotion and participation. If you’d like to learn more or get involved, contact us at refillreturn@ecosurety.com.