One of the areas of eco-conscious consumerism where I’ve struggled to make progress is in my use of household goods, such as washing up liquid and hand soap. I feel like many brands have been slow to adopt more eco conscious techniques for bottling and shipping their product and it has been an area of frustration compared with the strides made in personal care items such as soap and shampoo.
Through my subscription to Dizzie, I discovered a brand called Fill. I have published a full review of my experience with Dizzie, so if you would like to check that out and are curious about zero waste grocery delivery, please do!
Now, back to Fill. Fill are are UK based refillable laundry and cleaning products brand. They are family run, their products are vegan friendly and cruelty free and have developed their business to be as eco-friendly as possible, from zero plastic waste (their glass bottles are returned and refilled), to their biodegradable formulations formulated by professional chemists, and even down to screen printing their glass bottles so as to avoid the need to affix labels. It’s impressive attention to detail which demonstrates how eco-conscious consumer products are at the core of Fill’s mission and purpose. To read more about Fill’s ethos and operations check them out at the Fill website and I’d recommend checking out their accreditations and their closed loop supply for wholesale.
First impressions…
My experience with Fill, as previously mentioned, came via my subscription to Dizzie. With this in mind I will focus my review purely on the product, and not related to product delivery or return.
The first thing I noticed about Fill hand soap was the design of the bottle. The dark brown coloured glass felt weighty and high quality, and I liked the minimal design of the screen printed label. And as expected, there was no erroneous plastic. Overall, I’d be happy for this to sit on my kitchen side, but I would choose to decant into another refillable dispenser for bathroom hand soap.
Fill state that they would rather consumers return or reuse their bottles rather than send them to waste, which is an objective I would like to see adopted by more consumer product companies. And while I appreciate the “reuse” sentiment, I think it’s highly unlikely that consumers would reuse the bottle, either to refill with another hand soap or liquid product, or for other purposes, due to the very obvious branding on display. With this in mind, I expect that most customers would choose to return the bottle for cleaning and refilling by Fill themselves.
The scent of the hand soap is Fig Leaf which I found to be very green and fresh smelling. Totally up my street. And the consistency of the hand soap isn’t too thick or too runny and lathers well, so you shouldn’t find it spraying across the sink and ruining your outfit! Yes… I have totally been that person that has had to try and dry out a hand soap mishap in a public restroom… We do not appreciate it!
The bottle was £5.95 for 500ml, which I will admit I found very expensive. In fact I’d go as far as to say the price is a potential barrier to access for some consumers. But with this in mind, the bottle tends to last me a month and a half split between use in my kitchen and a bathroom decanted into separate dispensers.
Final thoughts…
Overall I like the Fill hand soap, although I would like to see more scent options provided. As far as I can tell from the Fill website, the only options are Fig Leaf and unscented. I haven’t tried the unscented version, but was pleased to see that Fill had considered consumers with sensitive skin it’s product range.
Even though I think the hand soap is very expensive, and will be unfeasible as a switch for many consumers, the product itself and the operation behind it are very good. Fill’s commitment to high quality products and the circular economy, and the detail with which they have designed their operating model are impressive, and gave me confidence that they are a brand in line with my own personal values.
But all being said, the price is problematic and will prevent further consumers from ditching the more affordable, traditionally packaged alternatives. If Fill could find a way to make the product more affordable so that they can improve their consumer reach I would urge them to do this. I have been purchasing the Fill hand soap for several months but have recognised that during economically challenging times, I would have to consider this product a luxury that could find itself on the chopping block in favour of cheaper, and less eco-friendly alternatives. While this would be incredibly disappointing for me, I have to be realistic about how far money stretches, the same as everyone else.
Additionally, the 500ml glass bottle doesn’t come with a pump as standard, should you wish to use the product in the bottle it ships with. This requires an additional purchase of a pump that costs £1.50, and consumers must buy the Fill pump, as it isn’t guaranteed that other pumps will fit the bottle. While I agree with this from the standpoint that shipping the pump as standard would have the potential for creating unnecessary plastic waste, it is an additional cost that consumers will need to factor in.
If you are interested in giving Fill’s hand soap, or any of their other products a try, check out their stockist page on their website for both online and in store options. And if you do give them a try, leave a comment on your experience below!