How do you convince shoppers to shift to a sustainable alternative if they don’t care about the environment? VML Commerce joined forces with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) to launch its first "Smart Fill" machine, an in-store vending model for its Home Care products, playing on the popular sustainability mantra of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" with their own iteration: "Reuse, Refill and Reward" and providing an incentive discount if customers bring their own bottles.
Smart Fill
Empowering consumers to reduce plastic waste
Client
- Unilever
Office
- India
![Smart Fill 0](images/smartfill0.jpg)
Shankar Shinde
COO, VML Commerce
Packaging is the face of a brand. But in India, it’s also the face of plastic pollution. With its products reaching 9 out of 10 Indian households, Unilever needed a sustainable business transformation. But how would they convince shoppers to shift to a sustainable alternative if they don’t care about the environment?
VML Commerce joined forces with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) to launch its first "Smart Fill" machine, an in-store vending model for its Home Care products, playing on the popular sustainability mantra of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" with their own iteration: "Reuse, Refill and Reward". This industry-defining initiative offers consumers an innovative option to reuse their plastic bottles by refilling products from HUL’s flagship brands, including Surf Excel, Comfort and Vim.
HUL’s "Smart Fill" machines have rolled out as part of a pilot program that the company aims to expand across prominent retailers and modern trade outlets across the country. To access products from the Smart Fill machine, consumers can either use their old empty bottles or purchase a Smart Fill bottle from the store at a nominal price. As an incentive, consumers are being offered a discount on the regular retail price if they bring their own bottles.
- 1.5MM earned media
- 85% repeat purchase
- 100K+ households reached
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Awards
2022 Cannes Lions
Creative Commerce - Sustainable Commerce
Gold Lion
2022 Cannes Lions
Sustainable Goals - Responsible Consumption and Production
Silver
2022 Cannes Lions
Creative Business Transformation - Brand Purpose & Impact
Bronze
2023 Adfest
Commerce - Sustainable Commerce
Silver
2023 Adfest
Commerce - In-Store Experience
Bronze
2023 Adfest
Brand Experience - In-Store Experience
Bronze