Introducing Refill Return
A new chapter to power the new reuse economy
At Refill, we’ve always believed in tackling waste at its source. As long-time behaviour change experts and passionate advocates for upstream solutions to the single-use crisis, we’re driven by a bold vision: a world that refills and returns where reuse is second nature.
Since 2015, we’ve built a movement — uniting individuals, communities, businesses, and policymakers behind one goal: to stop waste before it starts.
Now, we’re scaling that ambition.
Working in partnership with industry, governments, local institutions, and fellow NGOs, we’re creating the conditions for a circular economy to thrive — not someday, but now.
This moment calls for unity, innovation, and systems-level change.
And that’s exactly what we’re here to deliver.
What is Refill Return, and how different is it from City to Sea?
Refill is an award-winning campaign created by City to Sea to help people live with less waste. We connect people to places they can eat, drink and shop without the pointless packaging. We started the campaign way back in 2015, as a pilot in our home city Bristol.
From a coffee on your commute, to drinking water on the go, or even shopping with less packaging, Refill puts the power to reduce single-use at your fingertips.
Participating cafes, bars, restaurants, banks, galleries, museums and other businesses simply sign up to the Refill app and use our behaviour change material (window stickers, postcards, etc!) – showing their customers/visitors/employees that they care about the environment and reducing waste.
In 10 years, Refill has built a unique recognition, helping millions of people across the world to reduce waste. We’re always incredibly proud to see our famous blue drop on window stickers popping everywhere in the world.
Fear not – City to Sea will remain the same leading environmental charity that you’ve always known – more than ever, we’re on a mission to make plastic pollution a thing of the past.
We’re not going to remove all our blue drops from the millions of water fountains around the world.
We’ve re-imagined Refill to reflect how much it’s grown since our humble beginnings. We’re excited to take it to the next level.
Why have we rebranded?
The world has changed — and so have we.
What began as a grassroots campaign focused on single-use water bottles has grown into a global movement driving change across industries and sectors.
Back in 2015, plastic bottles, lids and caps were THE most polluting single-use plastic item found on beaches, rivers and in our oceans around the world.
Since then, Refill has grown into more than we ever imagined:
- a global network of changemakers,
- an app with 330,000 stations and over 650,000 downloads,
- incubated reuse solutions on the ground and research,
- a home to award-winning campaigns like World Refill Day, Global Reuse Summit, the Reuse Manifesto, and more.
To continue leading the charge, we knew we needed an identity that could match the scale and ambition of the reuse economy we’re helping to build.
Refill Return is our future-ready identity — designed to reflect the expanding scope of our work and meet the demands of a rapidly evolving circular economy.
Beyond water. Beyond individual actions.
A unified platform built to unlock the power of collaboration and scale reuse in all its forms.
To show the world there’s more to refill than we think.
What’s New — And What’s Not
What’s New:
- A new name and look: Future-focused and inclusive of our wider reuse ambitions and innovations.
- A structured platform: Clearer pillars to guide our work and help partners engage meaningfully.
- A change brand: Built to inspire and mobilise action on a global scale.
The rest remains unchanged
- Our ambition remains unchanged: to make reuse second nature for everyone.
- Our urgency remains the same: With half of the world’s plastic created going to single-use packaging (about 400 million tonnes a year!), the time to act is now to roll out the reuse economy.
- Our global network, digital platforms, our app and behaviour change core principles are as strong and committed as ever.
Why Refill Return?
We’ve always been passionate about people’s behaviours – in fact we’ve been monitoring people’s habits when it comes to using reusable options consistently for the last 8 years, to better inform our work and drive lasting impact.
We’ve had some major wins – certain reuse habits are now commonly accepted in the UK. It is estimated that about 100 million single-use plastic bottles are saved each year thanks to the Refill app, connecting people with places to refill their water bottles.
And there’s more.
The reuse economy is developing into a full infrastructure and comprises multiple packaging systems. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) identifies four reusable packaging systems, which can be broadly divided into two types: refill and return.
To fully support the expansion of reuse, our new name supports the behaviours we want to see: a world that refills and returns.
What can people Return?
Think about it as your shopping trolley or your community street library.
People effectively borrow a product or packaging and return it after use to be used again by other people.
If we can do it for books, so can we for packaging!
When you know that about HALF of the plastic created goes into single-use packaging for food and drinks (that’s about 150 million tonnes a year!), refilling AND returning packaging could make a huge difference in tackling waste.
We’re delighted to see more and more coffee shops, independent stores, and online brands offering people to return their empties so they can clean it and reuse the packaging.
Use the filters in the app to find the reusable options you are looking for.
What is the Refill Return Platform
Refill Return is more than a new name — it’s a collaborative platform powering the new reuse economy.
We’ve structured our work into five strategic pillars that reflect how we create impact:
- Change Brand
We raise awareness and inspire action to make reuse second nature — building on the strength and credibility of the Refill movement.
- Advocacy Campaigns
From World Refill Day to the Global Reuse Summit and The Reuse Manifesto, we champion the policies, behaviours, and systems that make reuse possible at scale.
- Digital Platforms
We provide practical tools to connect people with reuse solutions — making it easier for everyone, from consumers to producers, to engage in the reuse economy.
- Knowledge Transfer
We generate amplify data, insights, and research that empower businesses and governments to make informed decisions and drive real-world results.
- Collaborative Network
We bring together an ambitious, diverse network of businesses, organisations, and individuals all working toward the same goal: a world without waste.