An eco-conscious customer was outraged after finding that the design of her travel-sized bottle literally prevented her from refilling it.
What's happening?
In a post to r/Anticonsumption, the Redditor shared a photo of a Garnier micellar water bottle sealed shut with a non-removable cap.
"Y'all I'm tired. I'm tired of every company being evil and greedy. I get the last laugh though because I have syringes to refill ink pens so I'm going to use a clean one to refill this damn bottle," they wrote.
While this particular shopper had a great workaround, not every consumer will have that option or the willpower.
The thread quickly filled with similar stories from frustrated customers who said they'd also been fooled by refill-resistant designs. And, for these companies, that frustration could just make or break customer loyalty.
One commenter stated, "I actually never bought this brand again SPECIFICALLY for this reason. I had the large bottle & the travel side for my purse. I assume the reason you can't refill is so you buy more minis? Either way, they lost me as a customer totally."
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Why is packaging concerning?
Many consumers buy into "reusable" or "recyclable" branding, only to find that packaging design, not their behavior, limits how sustainable a product can really be.
Companies that falsely lead customers to believe in their brand are greenwashing. Greenwashing preys on customers' good intentions by using buzzwords and misleading packaging to appear sustainable without actually changing harmful practices.
Unfortunately greenwashing and poor packaging is not limited to just the beauty industry.
There are other instances, including Fairlife with deceptive sustainability and animal care marketing and overpackaged online orders, showing how poor design choices can trick customers and worsen waste.
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Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to buy a refillable product?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Saving money 💰 Is Garnier doing anything about this?
Garnier has promoted several eco-initiatives in recent years, including its "Green Beauty" campaign and partnerships with TerraCycle to recycle empties.
But many Redditors pointed out that real progress requires rethinking product design, making packaging easy to refill, reuse, or recycle without extra steps.
To that end, parent company L'Oréal recently launched the Sustainable Innovation Accelerator to develop and implement sustainable solutions in the beauty industry.
What's being done about packaging more broadly?
Across industries, refill programs are gaining traction. Beauty brands like The Body Shop and L'Occitane have introduced in-store refill stations, and newer companies are investing in aluminum or glass containers designed for long-term reuse. Shoppers can also buy refill pouches when possible or recycle old containers.
A single bottle can say a lot about the waste baked into the products we use every day and why we need to work to reduce it.
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