SUPER® Interview with Amelia Eichel – July 2025

Thanks to the oil boom in the US, we have gotten used to a level of fuel usage and disposability that we simply cannot sustain if we want a livable planet for our fellow animals and descendants.  Conveniently for me as the one selling these refill stations, I don’t have to convince anyone to spend more money to do the right thing — even if you don’t care about the planet, reuse is still the smarter financial choice. Plastic bottles are bulky and expensive to ship. Much of what you’re paying for in a bottled product is the packaging. By cutting that out, Wonderfil makes it cheaper for you without reducing suppliers’ margins. Reuse infrastructure lets us break free from our dependency on single-use plastic and the fossil fuels behind it. Now that we understand the damage it causes to our bodies, ecosystems, and economy, it’s time for something better. Reuse is smarter. It’s cheaper. It’s simpler. And it’s ready to scale.

After years of trials and failures in grocery reuse pilots, we are seeing a few examples of success. In UK, Ocado delivery and Aldi have announced successful reuse pilots and recently the Grand Canyon National Parks announced it is launching a full-scale reusable program for take-away food and beverages. What is your expectation in the short term (5-year horizon) for the growth of reuse dispensing, repackaging, and returning solutions?

It’s exciting to finally see successful reuse pilots gaining traction—and based on the strong usage and growth we’re seeing at our Wonderfil refill stations in Whole Foods and on university campuses, it’s clear that both consumers and businesses are ready for dependable reuse solutions.

With the technology de-risked, the next five years will be about placing refill stations in the right environments where they can deliver value through education, convenience and cost savings. I expect more grocery chains to adopt tech-enabled refill systems, and I also see strong potential for refill to expand into high-traffic, non-retail spaces like gyms, corporate campuses, and residential buildings.

It’s also imperative that reuse service providers be closely involved with Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) and the implementation of new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws taking effect over the next few years. If PROs can actively vet and recommend credible reuse and refill solutions to their member companies, it could have a significant impact on industry adoption and scalability.

One of the biggest unlocks for Wonderfil was figuring out the supply-side of the reuse model. We not only help consumers refill their bottles, but we also built a closed-loop system using reusable bulk containers to restock our stations that are easy for producers to fill. It’s more cost-effective than single use, just as safe, and significantly reduces packaging waste across the entire supply chain.

As more refill service providers develop solutions that plug into existing packaging and distribution channels, we’ll continue to see the reuse ecosystem grow.

I have read that many consumers are unable to distinguish the value distinction between recycling and reuse. How does Wonderfil move the needle in educating consumers enough to demand re-use, and producers, therefore, to embrace the solution?

For the mainstream consumer, we really emphasize the cost savings.  In our model, you can save 10-40% over prepackaged by refilling at our refill stations. We know that what really ends up driving behavior change is price. Our refill stations offer the same high-quality products for less because we cut the cost of packaging. Once someone sees they can save money and avoid plastic waste by refilling where they already live or shop, they’re in.

For our more waste-conscious customers, we make sure to provide information about what is recyclable in their town. Most toiletry containers aren’t actually being recycled, even if they’re placed in the recycling bin. Most end up in landfills and when people learn that, the sheer amount of plastic bottles they’ve thrown away starts to dawn on them.  Then we give them a community-based solution that everyone can participate in, and it starts to click that this is a simple change that everyone can make to have a big impact.

How do you convince individuals and companies the importance of making retail-related changes in their own life when they aren’t seeing improvements on an industrial scale?

When consumers experience the simplicity and savings of refill, they get it, and they want more of it. One of the challenges when transforming the world to address climate change is that many impactful changes, like switching to renewable energy or redesigning supply chains, are invisible to the average person.

Refill/reuse is one of the few infrastructure/supply chain shifts that consumers can see and participate in directly. It’s a tangible sign that change is happening—and it creates a convenient and affordable way to participate in and encourage that change.

Our stations are like infrastructure, not another eco-friendly product. They’re more like solar panels or bike lanes than a bamboo toothbrush. The addition of a refill station to a space signals a commitment to an upstream intervention which is critical to turn off the plastic tap and shift away from our dependence on fossil fuels.

I’m especially driven by the opportunity to expand access to clean, affordable, plastic-free essentials. Our long-term vision is to bring low-cost, high-quality, refillable products to the communities that have been excluded from the clean products movement—and to help build a circular economy that everyone can participate in, not just those who can afford to be early adopters.

Can you share what you think are the most practical solutions for Wonderfil dispensers, specifically in the office and hotel environments?

The most practical implementations for Wonderfil refill stations are in university dorms, apartment lobbies, neighborhood markets, and laundromats. Hotels, spas, and gyms could be good applications too.  Pretty much anywhere that provides a lot of soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, etc. to the surrounding community is a great place for a refill station.