HUL introduces in-store vending machine

With the idea of reducing plastics, the Smart Fill machine enables consumers to reuse plastic bottles and refill the company’s home care products such as Surf Excel, Comfort and Vim. Consumers can either use their empty containers or purchase a bottle from the store at a nominal price to fill up the product offerings.

Prabha Narasimhan, executive director (home care), Hindustan Unilever and vice president (home care), Unilever South Asia, said, “As a responsible corporate, we have always endeavoured to find comprehensive solutions that include systemic rethink about plastic usage. Through this initiative, we wish to bring about a positive change in our society and make continuous progress towards a circular economy.”

He added, “The launch of the Smart Fill vending machine is yet another step to address one of the challenges of managing plastic packaging waste. We hope this innovation will bring awareness and enable consumers to contribute effectively to managing plastic waste.”

The company mentioned that it will focus on creating a scalable refill business model in partnership with prominent retailers and modern trade outlets based on the pilot project learnings.