Circular Service for Household Goods

The opportunity

In 2017, Norway reportedly consumed over 209,000 tons of plastic packaging per year, of which 64,000 tons was material recycled – i.e. 30.6% – and households alone accounted for around 133,000 tons.

In order to reach the EU's goal of 50% material recycling by 2025, we would need to annually recycle at least 50,000 more tons of plastic packaging.

We wanted to contribute to reaching this resource recycling milestone. We wanted to make it easier to reuse rather than dispose.

A project group with members from Orkla, Bakken & Bæck and ÆRA gathered to sketch the vision for a circular service for household goods.

That vision became the startup På(fyll), in joint ownership between the above-mentioned parties: an internationally leading supplier of consumer goods, a technology driven design studio and an innovation consultancy.

The way

Our lives are becoming increasingly automated. As a result, we knew we had to design På(fyll) as more than a service reducing single-use plastics. Convenience was of the essence.

Our strategic process thus revolved around how to lower the user's threshold for choosing a circular option in a crowded commercial space, and a hectic day.

Ordering through På(fyll) means choosing the household products you love and want a refill of, delivered at your door. With the containers in house, its contents are further transferred into your chosen small disposers for daily use. When the containers are emptied, a QR code is scanned, and a new refill is ordered. The empty containers are subsequently picked up at your door again for refilling.

People will ultimately need På(fyll) because their homes are full of products that are in constant use, and which routinely need to be topped up. Automating this process means convenience much like your phone auto-fills your personal information. Reduced waste will, for most households, be a pleasantly added bonus.

Choosing På(fyll) over products within the same category and disposable packaging means a potential 65-80% personal footprint reduction, according to an LCA analysis done by NORSUS. Verifying its actual footprint becomes possible with full control of the service's value chain.

The result (thus far)

After a successful pilot in 2022 confirming and crushing many hypotheses, På(fyll) has plans to expand further with its team of now ten employees.

Built with a scalable and modular business model, the circular service is set to enter most markets internationally. That is also its ambition. First up: Sweden.

Simultaneously, På(fyll) is working to expand its product categories further, aiming to truly cover the needs of the whole household.

What we provided

• Deep insights and analysis
• Strategy for sustainable growth
• Brand purposing
• Concept development
• Future business models
• Organizational design
• Change agents and advisors