VMLY&R COMMERCE and Hindustan Unilever's ‘Smart Fill’ Machine Empowers Consumers to 'Reuse, Refill and Reward'

VMLY&R COMMERCE joined forces with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) to launch its first ‘Smart Fill’ machine, an in-store vending model for its Home Care products, playing on the popular sustainability mantra of 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle' with their own iteration: Reuse, Refill and Reward. This industry-defining initiative offers consumers an innovative option to reuse their plastic bottles by refilling products from HUL’s flagship brands, including Surf Excel, Comfort and Vim.

HUL’s Smart Fill machines have rolled out as part of a pilot programme that the company aims to expand across prominent retailers and modern trade outlets across the country. To access products from the Smart Fill machine, consumers can either use their old empty bottles or purchase a Smart Fill bottle from the store at a nominal price.  As an incentive, consumers are being offered a discount on the regular retail price if they bring their own bottles.

Prabha Narasimhan, executive director (Home Care) for Hindustan Unilever Ltd. and Vice President (Home Care) for Unilever South Asia added, “Today’s consumers are conscious of the values that their favourite brands hold, and shop accordingly, so not only are we able to make a real impact on the amount of wasted plastic but our consumers are reacting in an extremely positive way. VMLY&R COMMERCE has helped us take a problem that was truly impacting our customers and solution it into something that helps both the environment and our business.”

Shankar Shinde, COO at VMLY&R COMMERCE, said, “Sustainable packaging concerns are a huge topic of conversation across all retail industries, and we are thrilled to partner with HUL on a creative solution that helps combat single-use plastic. We’re proud to work with a partner who is taking a stand against industry norms in packaging and offering sustainable solutions. With the aim of making the world a less polluted place for tomorrow’s generation, we are working with HUL to make this an open-source initiative all key retail players are able to offer their consumers. “