India’s push toward a circular economy has brought reuse and refill models into sharper focus as viable solutions to tackle the country’s mounting plastic waste. With both government policies and corporate initiatives aligning on sustainability goals, the shift from a linear “take-make-waste” system to one that enables multi-lifecycle usage is gaining momentum. For instance, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has laid the groundwork with its circular economy roadmap, while companies like Hindustan Unilever are piloting refill stations to reduce plastic use at the consumer level.

As refillable PET bottles and in-store vending models gain traction, what are the key challenges and opportunities that lie ahead?

Scaling challenges

InfinityBox works with enterprises to make cafeterias more sustainable by reducing Scope 2 and 3 emissions — mainly water and electricity use. “We tell them they do not need disposables. We will invest in the cutlery, deliver it, take it back, and wash it,” says Shashwat Gangwal, Founder, InfinityBox. This outsourced model lowers operational costs and cuts water and energy use by 40–60 per cent. But adoption remains a challenge!

The Indian market presents a unique blend of opportunity and complexity for reuse and refill models, says Simi Dewan, Country Head, L’OCCITANE India. “Urban consumers are increasingly eco-conscious, but logistical challenges – like distribution infrastructure can hinder scale. We see collaboration with local partners and investment in consumer education as critical to overcoming these hurdles and unlocking long-term value.”

Cupable launched reusable cups for events after India’s 2019 single-use plastic ban, using a collect-clean-reuse model now common at concerts. “Attendees may not realise it, but all cups are reused,” says Lokesh Sambhwani, Co-founder, Cupable and GreenLit. Its success came from a seamless user experience and offering organisers both sustainability and revenue benefits. The company later expanded to B2B reuse (plates, containers) and piloted doorstep refill machines for FMCG brands. “The idea was to pay for the product, not the packaging,” he says. But post-COVID demand for variety and convenience made refills harder to sustain. The biggest hurdle, Sambhwani says, is infrastructure. Another challenge is cost: reused containers often cost more than virgin packaging, with sustainability rarely factored into procurement. “Unit cost trumps sustainability on paper,” he notes. Without policy support and systemic change, reuse may remain more marketing than mass solution.

Challenges & Opportunities

Prateek Patel, Founder & CEO, Srishti Lifescience, outlines key challenges and opportunities for scaling reuse and refill models in India:

Challenges:

• No disincentives for single-use: With no regulatory or financial penalties, there is little urgency to shift from single-use products.
• Slow industry adoption: Limited uptake among brands and producers has delayed innovation.
• Lack of financial push: Without economic incentives, driving behavioural change is difficult.

Opportunities:

• Packaging cost savings: Long-term cost reductions for both businesses and consumers.
• Sustainability demand: Growing consumer interest in eco-friendly options.
• Government backing: Initiatives like Swachh Bharat support environmental responsibility.
• Decentralised benefits: Localised systems reduce logistics costs and improve shelf life.
• Environmental gains: Reduced plastic waste and emissions deliver long-term impact.

Srishti Lifescience’s patented ECOSSION system – a water purification and refill machine for reusable glass bottles – has been deployed across varied locations over the past four years. In FY24-25, it served over 4.1 million refills, achieving: Cost parity with single-use plastic bottles via a deposit-refund model; widespread consumer acceptance of sustainable practices; and prevention of 81 tonnes of plastic waste and 1,050 tonnes of carbon emissions.

Influencing consumer behaviour

In India, while awareness around sustainability is growing, comfort and experience still drives most purchasing decisions, says Dewan. “At L’OCCITANE India, we have found that combining education with experience – through in-store demonstrations and clear communication on the environmental impact – has been key in encouraging our customers to embrace refill solutions. It is about making sustainability both accessible and aspirational.”

Prateek Patel, Founder & CEO, Srishti Lifescience, says, “Reuse and refill systems can gain traction if they offer competitive pricing alongside strong hygiene assurance. Consumers are more likely to embrace sustainable alternatives when they are cost-effective and meet health and safety expectations.” At Srishti Lifescience, two factors drive the promotion of sustainable bottled water models:
Advanced hygiene assurance with traceable data: A patented system ensures the safety of each reusable glass bottle through real-time traceability and quality checks, building consumer trust.
Cost parity with conventional options: A deposit-refund mechanism has achieved price equivalence with single-use plastic bottles, making the sustainable option accessible.

Adoption is easier when companies face operational issues like broken dishwashers, absentee staff, or hygiene concerns. “In these cases,” says Gangwal, “they are ready to outsource.” However, for businesses with long-standing operations, change is harder due to approval layers. Gangwal notes that onboarding is smoother when clients clearly communicate priorities. A key strategy is finding an internal champion, typically in sustainability or operations, who values cost savings or efficiency. Word of mouth also helps; once a few CHROs or CXOs adopt the model, others follow. InfinityBox offers to handle non-core functions to improve sustainability and reduce operational burdens.

Policy pushbacks

Government policies and regulations in India play a pivotal dual role as they can either catalyse or constrain the development of reuse and refill-based business models. 

• Patel recommends the following measures as critical levers of influence:
• Expand single-use bans: Extend bans to include packaging with viable reusable or refillable alternatives.
• Mandate reuse for key categories: Prioritise reuse in low-risk, high-volume products like bottled water and cleaners.
• Offer reuse incentives: Provide subsidies, GST benefits, and grants for refill infrastructure and innovation.
• Drive public awareness: Launch multilingual campaigns on hygiene, affordability, and environmental impact.
• Highlight scalable successes: Promote real-world case studies to build trust and drive replication.
• Enforce EPR strictly: Tighten compliance and link EPR performance to reuse and refill adoption.

While the policies might look great on paper, the real challenge is execution on the ground, says Gangwal. For corporates, there is slightly more pressure — but even then, he sees the enforcement of aspects such as mandatory reporting of scope 1 to scope 3 emissions still missing in India. “There are no water usage targets. No emission reduction targets. And even if companies do want to report on these things, there’s no strict framework or push to do so.” So the bottom line is: the policies exist, but the lack of execution, measurement, and accountability is what really holds back the adoption of meaningful reuse and refill models.
Sambhwani believes the Indian government and CPCB board are more advanced than their global counterparts. However, he adds, “What they unfortunately lack is execution. For example, reuse was included in the EPR draft in late 2022, approved in 2023, yet in 2025, it still has not been implemented.” He also highlights the need to incentivise reuse. “Recycling is not the final solution, and just like recycling was incentivised initially, reuse should be incentivised now.”

Collaborative circular models

The question remains: Can businesses collaborate across the value chain to create scalable and sustainable reuse and refill systems in India?
Patel says, “Collaboration between product manufacturers and decentralised refill technology providers can create an effective, sustainable refill and reuse supply chain.” He adds that manufacturers offer expertise in formulation, quality assurance, and distribution, while refill providers deliver innovative local solutions. Together, they can reduce single-use packaging and promote circularity.

Having worked with large size brands and corporations, Sambhwani points out, “While their heart and marketing claims are in the right place, the harsh reality is that they fail to see enough value to focus on these models. The focus is more towards selling – and nothing about collecting it back or creating something in a loop.”

Innovating refill models

India has yet to witness large-scale adoption of reuse and refill technologies, says Patel. “While some pilots – mainly in cleaning and sanitation – have launched, they have not scaled. Drinking water refill systems have seen more uptake, especially in hospitality, where hotels use machines to refill glass bottles.”

Patel suggests that expanding infrastructure, improving logistics, and offering consumer-centric solutions will drive adoption. “Technologies like smart kiosks, mobile refill units, and IoT stations can improve user experience and efficiency. Standardising packaging and ensuring hygiene will build consumer trust.”

“There are global methodologies that track a product’s full life cycle,” says Gangwal. He explains that while plastic plates are often seen as harmful, reusing one 200 times can be far better than using a single-use bagasse plate.

“This insight comes from a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The real challenge is tracking such impact at scale, across clients and systems.” That is where innovation plays a role. “We focus on logistics, inventory, and impact tracking – monitoring usage, reuse, washing, and replacement – and making this data visible to clients.” The goal: efficient non-core operations powered by actionable data.
On a concluding note, Sambhwani emphasises, “We need to understand the consumer and make their life easier. We must save either time, effort, or money – ideally two out of the three – for reuse or refill to make sense.” He believes the greatest opportunity lies in cracking controlled environments like airports, cinemas, events, and stadiums.

India has a history of leapfrogging technologies, and a direct move from collection to reuse could be transformative. Yet without strong infrastructure, scaling reuse remains a challenge – a promising but still unrealised solution. Whether India can lead this shift remains to be seen!