{"id":43245,"date":"2023-01-24T08:50:18","date_gmt":"2023-01-24T08:50:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bp-consultants.de\/?p=43245"},"modified":"2023-01-24T08:50:18","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T08:50:18","slug":"lidl-is-testing-smart-refill-machines-with-smart-pouches-for-laundry-detergent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bp-consultants.de\/en\/lidl-is-testing-smart-refill-machines-with-smart-pouches-for-laundry-detergent\/","title":{"rendered":"Lidl is testing \u201csmart\u201d refill machines with \u201csmart\u201d pouches for laundry detergent"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Following the success with its first pilot, discounter Lidl is expanding its test of \u201csmart\u201d refill machines for POS in the UK. In combination with \u201csmart\u201d pouches, customers can now buy refill laundry detergent in two more stores. The project is further evidence of how digitalization is becoming an \u201cenabler\u201d for increased efforts towards a sustainable future. And they are another example of refill systems that, together with deposit and reusable solutions, benefit from the mega issues of circular economy, climate protection, and sustainability. In the long term, we will see such solutions across the board. This offers enormous opportunities for companies in the packaging industry.<\/h4>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Lidl installed its first Algramo refill machine with \u201csmart\u201d Formil pouches in its store in Kingswinford, England, at the end of April 2022. The pilot ran for six months \u2013 and consumer feedback was very positive, according to the company.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For example, 97 percent of users said they would recommend the system to a friend or colleague.<\/li>\n<li>88 percent planned to continue using it.<\/li>\n<li>Now Lidl UK extended the trial to its stores in Swadlincote and Lichfield.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The \u201csmart\u201d machines<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The compact machines are a development of Chilean startup Algramo.<\/li>\n<li>They are placed on the shelf and have a footprint equivalent to 66 standard disposable Formil bottles. Their filling capacity is equivalent to 245 refill bags, according to Lidl.<\/li>\n<li>An \u201cautomated touchscreen experience\u201d on the machine guides consumers through the refill process, which includes the ability to churn out the desired detergent.<\/li>\n<li>In combination with the \u201csmart\u201d bags, the refill machine can distinguish between new and reused refill bags. In this way, Lidl can offer consumers a 20 pence discount from the second refill.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The \u201csmart\u201d pouches<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The lid of the Formil bags contains a special chip for communicating with the refill machine.<\/li>\n<li>Also integrated into the lid is a technology Algramo calls \u201cclosed-fill.\u201d It allows consumers to fill the pouch with the lid on. This saves time and reduces the risk of contamination and spillage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The advantages of the system<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lidl lists a number of benefits of its \u201csmart\u201d refill system:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cost: Customers save 20 pence per refill compared to the equivalent disposable product.<\/li>\n<li>Sustainability: using the \u201csmart\u201d refill pouches saves 59 g of plastic per refill, which is equivalent to the weight of a corresponding disposable bottle. Lidl also talks about minimizing the CO2 footprint and water consumption.<\/li>\n<li>Efficiency: for customers, the trial version is Lidl\u2019s fastest refill solution to date. For retailers, the machine\u2019s small size optimizes shelf space. For logistics and transportation, there are efficiency benefits because the detergent is transported in bulk packaging.<\/li>\n<li>Insights: Via the new technology, Lidl and Algramo can track how often each bag is refilled and how much packaging is saved by the trial.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Digitization &amp; sustainability<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lidl\u2019s approach is commendable and a step in the right direction. It is representative of a number of current developments.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Digitization is showing itself to be an enabler for sustainability.<\/li>\n<li>Refill solutions are among the biggest trends we are seeing in terms of closing the loop in retail and FMCG.<\/li>\n<li>Refill, deposit and reusable solutions are on the rise. In our opinion, these systems will become widespread in Europe in the future. They pay off in different ways in terms of climate, circular economy and sustainability goals and meet with a high level of acceptance among consumers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Opportunities for industry<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We will see more concepts of this kind. For companies in the packaging industry, this presents enormous opportunities. That\u2019s because the need and demand are foreseeable. Those who are smart are already positioning themselves accordingly. However, one should not take much time with this\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following the success with its first pilot, discounter Lidl is expanding its test of \u201csmart\u201d refill machines for POS in the UK. In combination with \u201csmart\u201d pouches, customers can now buy refill laundry detergent in two more stores. The project is further evidence of how digitalization is becoming an \u201cenabler\u201d for increased efforts towards a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":43243,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[874,1730,1504,2067,2068,1040],"class_list":["post-43245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bp-world","tag-circular-economy-en","tag-lidl-en","tag-packaging-industry","tag-reusable-solutions","tag-smart-refill-machines","tag-sustainability"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bp-consultants.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bp-consultants.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bp-consultants.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bp-consultants.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bp-consultants.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43245"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bp-consultants.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43246,"href":"https:\/\/bp-consultants.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43245\/revisions\/43246"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bp-consultants.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bp-consultants.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bp-consultants.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bp-consultants.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}