ReCo Refill: Circular packaging and delivery system for plastic-free home essentials

ReCo Refill was more than an idea — it was a functioning circular system, shaped by the people using it. From day one, we launched fast and iterated often.

We began with pilot research across 20 inner-city homes, launched MVPs of our website and refill process, and refined each stage using heatmaps, analytics and customer feedback. Every version made it easier to understand, order and refill.

Our strategy was rooted in rapid learning, building trust and continuous improvement. Learn more in our growth strategy case study.

ReCo Refill was built on relationships with our customers and our neighbourhood.

We hand-delivered to our customers, took feedback directly via text and DM, and stayed in touch with customers over the full 3-year journey. Many became advocates, sharing and displaying their refill jars proudly in kitchens and bathrooms.

We have also formed partnerships with local cafes, Pack & Send and small business owners. Everyone played a role in making a seemingly impossible system work.

To make sustainability work, the experience has to be easy for everyone involved:

• Customers: Clear communication, intuitive process
• Partners: Seamless logistics and onboarding
• Operations: Lightweight tools to manage delivery, tracking and returns

Behind the scenes, we tested multiple tech stacks for container tracking and routing. Ultimately, we landed on a hybrid Shopify 2.0 + Webflow front end with Glide for backend MVP testing. Every touchpoint was designed to reduce friction and make it easy for the users.

Self-funded, we had to be strategic and agile. We reached our first 100 customers within 3 months of launching, through micro-influencer mapping, targeted Facebook ads and community word-of-mouth. Learn more in our strategy case study.

Key partnerships include:

• Local logistics: Haven Cafe, Cafe 0.6, Pack & Send
• Operations: Seamless logistics and onboarding
• PR & media: Lightweight tools to manage delivery, tracking and returns
• Start-up accelerator support: Boomerang Labs
• Government support: Multiple City of Sydney innovation grants, NSW government mentorship

We also pitched partnerships with Aesop, Airbnb and L’Abode — validating ReCo Refill as both a product and a model.

Running ReCo Refill gave us deep insights into what it takes to launch and operate a circular B2C service in Australia. A circular model is achievable, however operating costs and logistics remain the biggest challenges. Our unit cost was 3x higher than traditional products.

Despite strong repeat purchase margins and a loyal customer base, scaling proved difficult without significant external investment. Australia's infrastructure for zero-waste B2C services is still evolving, and the path to scale remains narrow.

In 2023, we made the tough but clear decision to close the project. Today, ReCo Refill remains a blueprint for other circular businesses ready to build on what we’ve learned.