UNDP
Lao
The Lao PDR Accelerator Lab team recognized the importance of collaboration with the private sector, and decided to run a small behavioral experiment by setting up Unilever refill stations to encourage more sustainable consumption of personal and household care products (such as shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, body lotion, dishwashing liquid, laundry detergent, and fabric conditioner) that are commonly sold in the form of single-use plastic sachets. Refill stations were set up in the city center and at the National University of Laos. The experiment found that consumers typically preferred purchasing in the small sachet format because they believed it to be more affordable ("buying less, more often"). This preference was reflected by large commercial brands like Unilever in their sales approach. The refill station experiment nevertheless demonstrated that when consumers were made aware of the cost savings linked with refilling, they were more likely to support this more sustainable form of consumption. Cost savings were a much more significant pull factor than the reduction of plastic pollution.