The phrase "reduce, reuse, recycle" was popularized in 1976 with the passing of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. It has been an enduring staple of the sustainability movement, and its application holds profound strategic business value — especially for supply chain professionals. At ASCM, we talk a lot about reducing waste, from cutting carbon emissions to right-sizing shipping boxes. As for recycling, we’ve explored many examples of this integral piece of the circular supply chain, including recycling plastic resins and eliminating the need to mine by recycling essential metals. But this week in the news, it’s all about reuse.

That’s because June 16 is World Refill Day, a global day of action that aims to speed the transition away from single-use plastic and toward reuse systems. According to the UN Environmental Programme, half of the 400 million tons of plastic we create every year is single-use. World Refill Day urges consumers to combat this culture of disposables by, for instance, bringing their own containers and cutlery for takeout meals, carrying a reusable coffee cup, or drinking from refillable water bottles. With 72% of people already wanting more reusable, refillable and returnable options where they shop, this is a compelling reason for any business to get involved in the movement.

For its part, L'Oréal Group has announced a partnership with World Refill Day through its first global multi-brand campaign, #JoinTheRefillMovement. The initiative promotes refills as a new beauty ritual to foster a more sustainable future. “We have an opportunity, as well as a responsibility, to create more circular solutions,” says Ezgi Barcenas, L'Oréal chief corporate responsibility officer. “Achieving this vision at scale demands more than innovation; it requires intention and action.” To that end, the Group has significantly adapted its manufacturing sites around the world to enable a 17-fold increase in the number of refillable options available over the past five years.

Another company taking the refill challenge to heart is luxury brand YSL Beauty. Caroline Negre, YSL global sustainability and scientific director, offers the following example related to refillable fragrances: Buying one new YSL LIBRE perfume and one refill — equivalent in volume to three new bottles — saves 41% of the glass that would typically be used in production, 67% of the metals, 38% of the plastic and 28% of the paper. “We want to encourage consumers to embrace refilling as a new beauty ritual,” she adds. “Small, everyday actions can collectively make a big difference for the environment.”

Build on the movement

Consumers may need gentle encouragement to reduce waste, but businesses have an obligation to act. There’s no better way to build sustainability into our global supply chains than by incorporating circularity principles into all we do. Start by assessing your current state with ASCM’s Enterprise Standards for Sustainability, which empower companies to meet their green goals.

Then, investigate how prioritizing sustainability not only benefits the planet, but also significantly boosts employee engagement and retention, according to new collaborative research from ASCM and Gartner. Download the full report and watch the joint webinar, The Mandate Effect: Gartner and ASCM Share How Sustainability Action Improves Talent and ESG Outcomes, to learn more.

Finally, understand why sustainability and resilience go hand-in-hand with ASCM’s Supply Chain Resilience Certificate. Through this program, you’ll understand how to manage risk throughout your networks, make data-driven decisions and prioritize sustainability to achieve a much more resilient operation. And right now, you can take advantage of our summer sale — 15% with the promo code SUMMER2025. Get started today and discover why ASCM education is your career's favorite reusable asset.