The market for household laundry products in the UK

Figure 1: Trend in the purchase of single-use plastic laundry detergent bottles (in millions), UK, 2017 to 2024

Extract A: 40p environmental surcharge on single-use rigid plastic laundry bottles

In 2023, a 40p environmental surcharge was introduced on all single-use rigid plastic laundry detergent bottles at major supermarkets across the country. The scheme allows consumers to avoid this charge entirely by bringing their own reusable containers to in-store "Refill Stations", where detergent is dispensed by volume.

The UK Environment Minister remarked that the surcharge has successfully countered the mindless, habitual purchasing of single-use heavy plastic packaging. This helps reduce municipal plastic waste and lowers carbon emissions from container manufacturing. The policy was necessary because, without a clear price signal, the free market mechanism fails to internalise the external costs of plastic disposal. Many households have now adopted the routine of bringing durable, multi-use HDPE bottles to the store.

However, retail analysts point out that certain consumer segments are highly resistant to this change. For high-income families and time-poor professionals, convenience and speed are the primary drivers of choice. Even with rising cost-of-living pressures, sales of premium-brand pre-packaged detergent pods at upscale grocery outlets fell by only 4% over the same period, indicating that for many, the convenience of pre-measured, grab-and-go pods outweighs the financial savings of refill stations.