Buying daily necessities refills could save 30pc on shopping bill: Consumer Council

The majority of refill samples are found to be cheaper than the original packaging pricing strategy, which effectively helps consumers save costs and the environment, according to the Consumer Council.

In July this year, the Consumer Council compared the original and refill unit prices of 125 items of daily necessities in three major supermarket chains. In addition, the Council also selected 12 “shop naked” stores selling packaging-free or refillable products and conducted mystery shopper visits for four types of personal and household necessities.

It was found that nearly 75 percent of the samples had refill unit prices lower than the original prices, with some having a difference of more than 30 percent.

The consumer watchdog reminds manufacturers and merchants to support the significance of protecting the environment when setting prices for refills.

Although refills were found to have a lower carbon footprint, the Council also found that some refills use composite materials, such as aluminum foil pouches, which have no reliable recycler in Hong Kong and may not be recycled.

The Consumer Council noted that "naked shopping" services have emerged in recent years. However, some stores do not display detailed product ingredients, shelf life and other information.

The Council also stated that few local brands provide refills and hopes that manufacturers will speed up the development of the refill and "naked shopping" markets and adopt more environmentally friendly packaging and transportation methods.