The return of refill

Before the coronavirus outbreak, the hospitality sector was leading the way in tackling single-use plastic pollution with initiatives in place to cut down on single-use plastic straws and cutlery, alongside incentives for customers to bring in reusable coffee cups and water bottles.

Many of these industry moves pre-dated government legislation on the issue and showed a real commitment from businesses big and small to be part of the solution.

After an incredibly difficult year and a half, we’re thrilled to welcome back a fully unlocked hospitality sector. As we look to focus on recovery and building back better, BRITA commissioned YouGov research into changing public attitudes around refills and using communal drinking taps and fountains. We found that 70% of consumers agree that food and drink businesses should provide free tap or filtered water, regardless of whether they are customers or not, while two thirds (64%) are comfortable asking for a free glass of water from a café or restaurant. Amongst 18–34-year-olds, four fifths (79%) agree that businesses that serve food and / or drinks should be required to provide free tap or filtered water to people on request.

However, it is important to be aware that consumers have become more concerned about the cleanliness of public water taps, fountains and dispensers over the last few years, with a 15% increase in those who’re worried about this in 2021 (68%) compared to 2017 (53%). Furthermore, over a third (39%) of UK adults surveyed feel that single-use plastic water bottles are currently more hygienic than reusable alternatives.

The hospitality industry has an opportunity to lead the way once more, supporting customers to make those daily switches to reusable alternatives in order to help bring down single-use plastic consumption and reduce the tide of disposable plastic pollution filling the oceans and going to landfill. Whilst there is a clear consensus that businesses should be offering refills, more may need to be done to help draw consumers away from a perceived safety factor of single-use plastic and reassure them of the hygiene of refill systems if we are to pick back up on the great work of the industry pre-Covid.