Smartfill horizontal - 1
Smartfill has been selected as a finalist in Blue Earth BE100, Europe’s leading pitch competition for planet positive business. This places Smartfill among 30 stand-out startups, chosen from over 1,000 applicants for their industry-shifting solutions aimed at driving positive environmental impact. As a finalist, Smartfill will have the opportunity to pitch its innovative dispenser technology to hundreds of impact investors, with collective access to over £100 million in funding. Six finalists will compete at the Blue Earth Summit from 16-18 October in London.
Smartfill reduces single-use grocery packaging by offering an IoT enabled, packageless dispensing solution that reduces waste, increases retailer margins and facilitates consumer accessibility and affordability. Through providing an innovative dispensing and logistics solution that breaks bulk at the retail edge, Smartfill is transforming traditional retail practices and supporting a broad-based circular economy.
Smartfill CEO, Nevo Hadas, explains that packaging accounts for 60% of household plastic waste, which is an estimated 6-12% of global single use plastic waste. “With the packaging sizes shrinking to accommodate smaller households or lower affordability, we are seeing an increasing amount of packaging. High packaging and logistics costs also mean products are often sold in sizes too large for many consumers' budgets, creating purchasing barriers— especially in low-income, developing countries.”
Smartfill offers a solution by enabling sales in smaller quantities without losing the hygiene and quality advantages of plastic packaging. "For consumers, purchasing the exact quantities they require both minimises waste and makes products more affordable," says Hadas. "In low-income markets, this model increases accessibility while increasing profitability for retailers. In Smartfill trials, consumers were paying 10% less across different categories."
A disruption of refill/reuse mindsets
Unlike gravity bins, Smartfill provides consumers with the ability to choose their purchase price in advance of dispensing, eliminating waste which plagued bulked sales in retail. Hoppers are sealed, simplifying storage and replenishment, and best before dates and batches are tracked seamlessly. The dispensers are low cost, enabling margin-positive business cases even at low volume. Cloud- based reporting, simple replenishing and easy cleaning reduces operating costs.
Commercial viability
Smartfill’s solutions are commercially viable for retailers due to their competitive cost structure and proven profitability. By eliminating packaging, Smartfill significantly reduces packaging costs and environmental damage associated with materials, production, and waste management. Retailers and manufacturers benefit from bulk purchasing, which lowers per-unit costs and increases margins.
"Smartfill’s focus on affordability, alongside its capacity to handle both solids and liquids, offers a flexible, scalable solution that can be adopted across diverse product categories and retail environments," says Smartfill COO Marc Wetselaar. "Our partnerships with major brands like Unilever and Tiger Brands validate the product’s efficacy in real-world settings. "
Transforming the supply chain
Unlike other market offerings that often focus solely on reducing primary packaging, Wetselaar says Smartfill’s IoT-enabled dispensers are designed to transform the entire supply chain. Smartfill eliminates all forms of packaging waste—primary, secondary, and tertiary—through an innovative bulk-to-store refill model.
"Manufacturers are able to ship bulk goods directly to retailers, eliminating the need for constant repackaging and streamlining logistics," Wetselaar explains. "Our refillable, sealed hopper system ensures food safety while minimising packaging costs, benefiting both retailers and consumers alike. The ability to ship just 1 size, no matter the quantity being sold will transform logistics completely"
Efficiencies are bolstered by an IoT-enabled stock management system, which allows for precise inventory control, reducing overstock and waste. The system provides real-time stock reporting and improved inventory management, even in developing world informal markets with limited IT infrastructure. Smartfill further employs sustainable practices in local distribution centres, where reusable hoppers are cleaned and redeployed, reducing resource consumption.
A track record of success
Key initiatives include a live rollout with Transform and Unilever Bangladesh, where Smartfill’s dispensers refill personal care products across Dhaka, showcasing scalability in small stores in urban markets. In Kenya, a pilot with Transform and Unilever demonstrated profitability for washing powder, with retailers seeing a margin increase through reduced packaging costs, even at the pilot stage. In a pilot with Tiger Brands within Tembisa in South Africa, Smartfill demonstrated a margin increase of up to 17% for retailers, proving that sustainability can enhance profitability. An ambitious scaling project is being rolled out across the township. These collaborations highlight Smartfill's effectiveness in both environmental impact and economic benefits.
Smartfill has conducted extensive trials in countries such as South Africa, Bangladesh, UK and Kenya. These trials, in collaboration with global brands, have demonstrated Smartfill's commercial viability and consumer appeal, with dispensed products outselling plastic-packaged items under 1kg on shelves by 2x and consumer adoption growing 30% month-over-month.
Contributing to a sustainable future
Smartfill has a proven track record of increasing small pack sales by up to 300%. Hadas says. ”It’s clear to see the increased margins for retailers and manufacturers by adopting packageless business models. The industry has accelerated to a point where smart dispensers are low cost, reliable and easy to operate.”
The company’s efforts are aligned with the Blue Earth BE100’s vision to accelerate game-changing startups driving positive change for the planet. "With the opportunity to pitch to impact investors, we are poised to further our mission to eliminate plastic and packaging waste and establish packageless purchasing as the new norm."