South Africa’s first-of-a-kind refill store to reduce single-use plastic packaging, Skubu, helps reduce plastic waste by allowing shoppers to refill essential goods, such as cooking oil, maize meal, sugar and cleaning products, using their containers, offering significant cost savings for lower-income households.
The first retail store was launched in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, last year by Sonke (Pty) Ltd. in collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), under the Circular Economy Demonstration Fund. There are now two stores in Diepsloot.
Skubu marks a significant step in integrating circular economy principles into retail, demonstrating how innovation and sustainable business practices can benefit communities. Beyond environmental benefits, the demonstrator also tackles food security by allowing lower-income citizens to access quality products in smaller quantities at more affordable prices.
Professor Linda Godfrey, CSIR principal researcher who leads Circular Innovation South Africa, a DSTI initiative hosted by the CSIR, said, ‘Skubu is a great demonstration initiative to show how circular economy principles can be implemented through collaboration. The intention is to focus on the national system of innovation, which looks at how a country creates and applies new ideas to improve technology and grow its economy. This includes bringing universities and science councils closer to the private sector to help de-risk and scale circular interventions,’ she explained.
She also emphasised the importance of collaboration in tackling plastic pollution and improving the quality of life for disadvantaged communities.
These stations not only eliminate up to 100% of single-use plastic packaging but they also enable consumers to save up to 50% by standardising the price per litre across different refill sizes, making every purchase a savvy choice.
By offering products in small, affordable pack sizes without the cost of packaging, SKUBU makes dignified access to essential goods both economical and environmentally responsible. This innovation not only reduces waste, but also radically lowers prices for consumers by enabling fixed pricing per litre or kilogram, regardless of the refill size.
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