Case study
Ecommerce branding & website design for sustainable business
ReCo Refill (2020–2023)
ReCo Refill was a 3-year experiment we started during the pandemic. Its mission was to reimagine packaging for a cleaner world — one refill at a time.
The world has only recycled 9% of the plastics produced in the past 60 years. 6.3 trillion kilograms of plastic is still around, harming 100 million sea animals every year. We simply cannot recycle our way to the future.
We partnered with local, eco-friendly brands, packaged their products in reusable glass jars and delivered them to customers in Sydney. We then collected the empty jars, sanitised them at our local facility and got them ready for the next refill.
The ultimate goal was to create a beautiful and easy user experience that helped people to reuse, keeping everything in the loop and out of the environment.
Photographer: Jason de Plater.
Results: ReCo Refill's success story
Achieved with
Only 2 Products
Delivered to
+500 residents in selected suburbs in Sydney
Waste impact
3,000+ plastic containers saved
Supported by
EY, Boomerang Labs, Social Impact Hub, City of Sydney
Presented to
Adobe, Lendlease, Aesop, AirBnb, Sustainability Victoria
Featured on
Front cover of Wentworth Courier, Broadsheet, Renew, Planet Ark
Ecommerce branding, web design & development
Research & strategy
User research
Brand strategy
Website strategy
Social media strategy
Content strategy
Ecommerce branding
&
website design
Brand voice & copywriting
Visual identity
Packaging design
Website design
Photography & videography
Social media design
EDM design
Web development
Webflow
Shopify 2.0
Performance optimisation
Exploration of Bubble and Glide for backend
User-centred design for a seamless, sustainable ecommerce experience
The ReCo Refill customers are mostly female. They're over 30, living in Sydney's inner-city suburbs, eastern suburbs and inner west. They are environmentally conscious and passionate about climate action.
ReCo Refill is an innovation, which makes it challenging for the audience to adopt quickly. To tackle the challenge, our strategy is to create a brand that is desirable, easy for people to understand and jump onboard. The ReCo Refill brand is simple, stylish and genuine. It shows the brand's vision and helps customers feel connected to it.
With greenwashing becoming a growing concern, building trust was key to our ecommerce branding strategy. We have the co-founders representing the brand and connecting with the customers on a personal level. Honest storytelling and exceptional customer experience were the cornerstone of the approach.
We've also made the website simple and easy to use. We used Webflow to tell the brand story, and custom-built Shopify 2.0 for the online shop. They were both designed to be fast and accessible. Together, these tools make the refill experience on our website easy and enjoyable.
Photography
We work with our long-term collaborator, Jason de Plater, to tell the ReCo story through simplicity, elegance and authenticity.
“It’s wonderful to use a local Sydney business that in turn supports an ethical regional NSW business, a holistic service to eliminate plastic waste.”
Jess Scully
Author, curator, city-maker, Former Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney
Ready to build an ecommerce brand that connects with your eco-conscious customers?
Learn more about Grow with ReCo, designed to empower small businesses. Alternatively, book a free call to discuss your project.
Grow with ReCo
FREE weekly digital marketing masterclass for small businesses
Our weekly newsletter is like a mini masterclass for small businesses, and it's free. Get actionable tips to attract customers, build loyalty and stay focused. Delivered to your inbox every Wednesday.