What do you do when you run out of soap? The majority of consumers will go to the grocery store where they are presented with an overwhelming number of options – all packaged in plastic bottles that are typically discarded after use. What if we got rid of the plastic bottle? Soapstand is on a mission to make package-free the norm. Founded in 2018 in Vancouver, Soapstand has created refill stations across the city where consumers can purchase zero-waste soap products by refilling their own containers.
Competing with traditional product attributes
They currently have six refill stations across Vancouver and a few stations in the US. These Soapstand locations are typically located in the cleaning product aisles at grocery stores which makes purchasing sustainable soap accessible and convenient. In our class reading “Choosing the Right Green Marketing Strategy”, we learned that consumers are unwilling to compromise on attributes like convenience, performance and price in favour of sustainable products.
Soapstand not only provides sustainable soap products, but also fulfills the attributes of traditional soap products. Their products are affordable and of similar quality to competitors (from someone who has tried their products first-hand!). Typically sustainable products are also sold at a premium making them inaccessible however, Soapstand claims to offer 50% savings in addition to diverting a plastic bottle from the landfill.
Potential areas of improvement
While they currently offer different types of dish soaps and laundry detergents, it would be great to see Soapstand expand their product offerings to include other cleaning products, perhaps partnering with sustainable companies like Method or Seventh Generation. As well, their current refill stations are mostly located at premium local grocery stores which may limit Soapstand’s reach to a wider consumer group. Partnering with a mainstream grocery chain, like Walmart, would help make package-free soap more accessible to more consumers and reinforce waste-free packaging as the norm.
For those interested in trying Soapstand, they have a soap refill station conveniently located on the main floor of The Nest to provide students with affordable and sustainable soap products! Learn more about Soapstand here: https://soapstand.com/
MuhammadKonain
March 5, 2023 — 1:14 pm
A good read! This reminds me of this shop at New Westminster called The Refill Stop. Here you can bring your personal containers from home and refill them with dish, laundry, body soap and all types of house cleaners.
lilyt05
April 2, 2023 — 6:49 pm
This is super interesting, Cherry! I’ve seen Soapstand around campus but never had the chance to try it out and learn more about the company. Knowing that these refill stands are not only more affordable but also more environmentally friendly was very fascinating. These aspects would definitely attract university students on a budget.
It’s inspiring to see small businesses create such big changes. I’d love to see more cleaning brands follow suit and introduce their own soap stands in local markets! I’m curious to know what companies you think would be best suited to tackle this challenge?