Watsons Triple Down on Sustainability with BYOB three Days a Week

Singapore’s main well being and wonder retailer, Watsons, has just lately prolonged its profitable “Bring Your Own Bag” (BYOB) initiative from a one-day implementation on each Tuesday to three days a week, throughout Mondays to Wednesdays.During these three days, plastic baggage are given out solely upon prospects’ request and are charged at $0.10 for each transaction. All proceeds collected from the plastic baggage cost shall be donated to help World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF-Singapore) conservation efforts, together with essential initiatives associated to decreasing plastic in nature.

The BYOB Difference

In 2019, near 13 million plastic baggage had been issued by Watsons to prospects once they make purchases. This staggering quantity led to a concerted resolution to chop down the handing out of plastic baggage on the retail shops with the launch of BYOB initiative on 1 December 2020 throughout all Watsons shops. Over the final 10 months, the consumption of plastic baggage on the retail shops was decreased by over 75% on BYOB day (Tuesdays).“We are heartened by the support of our customers who have embraced this initiative and have proactively turned down our plastic bags when making payment. Plastic bags are a part of the shopping journey for many and as a major retailer, we feel we need to act and do our part for the better of our community and the environment we live in. Every bit helps and the important thing is to take action. The more retailers jump on board to promote bringing your own bag as a habit, the more people will do away with single use and bring a
recyclable bag with them wherever they go. We find plastic bags an easy change that everyone can start with,” shared Irene Lau, Managing Director of Watsons Singapore.Watsons has additionally launched HDPE plastic baggage with 50% recycled plastic content material, up from its earlier 10-15%, as one other devoted step in direction of constructing a more sustainable world.Plans are additionally underway to launch a plastic recycling program on the retail shops by Q1 2023.

Watsons Shoppers Care About Sustainability

To higher perceive its prospects’ sustainable behaviour and their notion on Watsons’ social goal, a
Sustainable Branding survey was performed between June and August 21 throughout seven markets, particularly Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey with 3,500 Watsons members, aged
15+, who've bought any Personal Care, Skincare or Cosmetics merchandise previously three months.The survey discovered that 72% of respondents felt that it is vital for a retailer, like Watsons, to advertise a
sustainable life-style and 70% agreed that Watsons is performing nicely within the core attributes for being a
sustainable retailer by providing sustainable product decisions, implementation of environmental safety
initiatives and promotion of sustainable life-style.The two predominant standards for Watsons consumers when selecting sustainable Beauty and Personal Care merchandise are trustworthiness and worth with 87% of the respondents sharing that they're prepared to modify to sustainable decisions if the merchandise are cheaper or of the identical value as their common merchandise.Watsons consumers are additionally usually sustainability acutely aware with 78% of respondents bringing alongside their very own buying bag as a key sustainable apply of their on a regular basis life. An astounding 94% of respondents expressed sturdy curiosity in refill stations of bathtub & physique and family merchandise at Watsons shops and see refill stations as a method to construct shoppers’ belief and assist improve the picture of the retailer on sustainability efforts.

Choose Sustainable Choices For A Sustainable World

In its bid in direction of inculcating a stronger sustainability mindset amongst its shoppers and offering sustainable choices throughout private care and wonder wants, Watsons launched the Sustainable Choices class in October 2020 in its bodily retail shops in addition to online to curate and supply merchandise that fall inside 4 recognized pillars:

• Clean Beauty – manufacturers which can be recognised by Watsons for utilizing substances shoppers belief will defend them, with further environmental advantages and which help the local people.
• Refill – merchandise that come with refill packs or instore refilling stations to allow prospects to maintain utilizing the unique containers or bottles.
• Better Ingredients – merchandise use high quality substances from sustainable sources, sourced responsibly or have decreased plastic content material in non-formulated merchandise.
• Better Packaging – merchandise which have chosen “better plastic”, akin to recycled plastics or sustainably sourced paper in its packaging.

The class began with over 160 merchandise and has since elevated five-fold to supply near 900 merchandise, from private care, make-up to home items, that embrace the sustainable ethos and life-style.In a trial curation of the Sustainable Choices merchandise earlier this yr, the gross sales of a few of the merchandise had elevated by over 300%, together with CUREL Intensive Moisture Care Foaming Facial Wash Refill, DR BRONNER’S All-One Toothpaste Spearmint, Watsons 3ply Box Tissue, amongst others.A devoted Clean Beauty zone might be discovered at Watsons JEM and The Shoppes At Marina Bay Sands shops. You may find merchandise beneath Sustainable Choices at different Watsons shops by searching for the Sustainable Choices wobblers.Shoppers also can sit up for the first-ever refill station for Naturals by Watsons shampoos and bathtub merchandise and plastics recycling at Watsons JEM by Q1 2023.Joining over 450 manufacturers worldwide, Watsons’ guardian firm, A.S. Watsons has additionally signed as one of many signatories of the New Plastic Economy Global Commitment. This initiative unifies the worldwide worth chain behind a widespread imaginative and prescient for upstream options, supported by action-oriented targets for sustainability.