Detergent refills keep the environment clean

Shops mandating that customers bring their own bottles to purchase refills of detergent, hand sanitizer, fabric softener and other cleaning products by the kilogram have recently grown in popularity among residents in Shanghai.

One such shop in Shanghai's Yangpu district has seen its business pick up over the past months. During its peak hours, customers even have to wait in a line for their refills.

"More customers have come to visit the store in recent months as they are becoming more aware of the importance of environmental protection," says Wang Shihai, the store's manager.

Located on Yangshupu Road, the store belongs to Shanghai Soap Corp, a local enterprise that sells personal and household-cleaning products. The store, which was founded in 1923, was formerly known as the Shanghai Soap Factory.

"Our store has had this business model for over 30 years. What we offer is about 70 percent cheaper than the products in separate packaging sold in supermarkets. The most important thing is that this retail concept is very environmentally friendly," Wang adds.

The customers of the store are mainly middle-aged and elderly people. Most live nearby. Some even travel across the city just to buy products from the store.

Wang says he once met an elderly woman living in Baoshan district who would travel for about an hour just to buy goods at the store.

"She says the store has the smell of her childhood," Wang says.

"Generally, young consumers have less time to spare and are more accustomed to shopping online so we hardly saw them in the shop previously. However, an increasing number of our customers today are young people who are conscious about saving the environment."

Despite being in business for decades, Wang claims that shops like his are a dying breed.

"Although our prices have increased in recent years because of the high cost of raw materials, our revenue is much less than before," he says.

"In fact, this business is very unprofitable. But we believe that, as a State-owned enterprise, we should have a sense of social responsibility, including environmental protection. Also, there are many people today who appreciate our retail format and products so we can't suddenly shut down this business."