What Is a Refillery, And Why You Need One in Your Life
How low-waste refilleries are changing the way we shop for personal care products and our amazing partners who are making it happen.
Sustainable skincare isn't just about what goes into your products from the back end and manufacturing process; it's also about what gets left behind. And for most of us, what gets left behind in the pile of used products we go through in a day, week, or month grows faster than we'd like to admit.
That's where refilleries come in! They're one of the most practical, accessible low-waste solutions available today, and they're changing the way a growing number of people shop for everything from shampoo to tallow whips to laundry detergents.
We've spent years building relationships with refilleries across Canada and the US, stores that share our values around sustainable skincare, low-waste living, and that are putting quality products into the world without needing more packaging. We want you to know exactly who those partners are and make it easier for you to find one close to home!
What is a refillery?
A refillery is a store (physical, online, or both) where you refill your existing containers rather than buying new ones. Instead of picking up a new bottle of body wash from the shelf, you bring in your empty container, fill it with the product you want, pay for what you use, and walk out without generating a single piece of new packaging waste.
The concept is actually super old. Before single-use plastic became the global default, refilling was simply how people shopped: milk bottles were returned, soap was bought by the block, and bulk grains were scooped into your own bag. Refilleries share the same philosophy, just updated for modern consumers who want high-quality, non-toxic, often locally-made products without contributing to landfill waste.
Refilleries and sustainable skincare: a natural fit
One of the fastest-growing categories at refilleries across North America is natural and tallow-based skincare. It makes intuitive sense: people who care enough to source a grass-fed and finished tallow or a small-batch ancestral facial oil usually also care about what happens to the jar once it's empty.
Refilleries bridge that gap. Many of our partner stores stock our staple tallow whips, like our Face Tallow Whip for example, and offer customers the ability to refill their existing jars instead of buying new packaging each time.
This is sustainable skincare at its most complete: clean ingredients, ethical sourcing, and packaging that can be reused over and over again. To read more about Tallow, and our ethics and philosophy around it, check out this blog here.
How to refill your tallow jars:
- Rinse your empty jar with warm water and let it dry fully.
- Bring it to your nearest partner refillery. Many offer a loaner jar or take-a-jar program if you forget yours.
- Ask the team what tallow or natural skincare refill options they carry. Stock varies by store and season.
- ill up and pay by weight (Don't worry, you're paying for the product, not the packaging.)
- our jar goes back into use. No waste. Repeat indefinitely.
Why we partner with refilleries
One of our favourite aspects of working towards a more low-waste lifestyle is that it goes hand in hand with lowering the toxic load of our bodies, which is always top of mind! If you're just starting out on your low-waste or low-tox journey and don't want to feel overwhelmed with all of it, head to our recent blog post for the slow swap philosophy and steps that can support your change.
Our commitment to sustainability isn't just about the ingredients we use in our products; though that's a huge part of it. It's about considering the full lifecycle of everything we make while also meeting our customers' needs and our facility limitations. For us, that means partnering with as many refilleries as possible so our customers can enjoy 100% clean, natural products in the most sustainable way possible.
Our low-waste and zero-waste refillery partners
Below is our current directory of partner refilleries across Canada and the United States. Each store is independently owned and committed to low-waste, sustainable living. You can find their exact location on our partners' map by searching for them on our “locations” page. We recommend following them on Instagram for the most up-to-date information on stock, hours, and events!
Our Canadian Partners:
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Store |
Location |
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|---|---|---|
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ASH Refillery & Co. |
Victoria, BC |
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Zero Waste Emporium |
Victoria, BC |
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Pinto Goods Refillery |
Port Alberni, BC |
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Chickpeace Zero Waste |
Kelowna, BC |
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FILL – Kelowna |
Kelowna, BC |
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SALT Jar Refillery |
Salt Spring Island, BC |
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plentiFILL |
Duncan, BC |
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Homespun Refillery |
Prince George, BC |
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Full-Fill Zero Waste |
Kimberley, BC |
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Essentials Refillery |
Port McNeill, BC |
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Northwest Refillery |
BC |
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Prairie Refillery Co. |
Canada (online) |
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The Alternative |
Regina, SK |
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Mitny Refillery |
Moose Jaw, SK |
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Canary Refillery |
Calgary, AB |
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Local Refillery |
Courtenay, BC |
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The Yukon Refillery |
Whitehorse, YK |
Our U.S.A. Partners:
|
Store |
Location |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Mission Refill |
Goleta/Santa Barbara, CA |
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Resourcefill |
Lafayette, CA |
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West TX Refill |
Midland, TX |
Directory note: Store hours and availability change. We recommend verifying directly with each store before visiting. If you know of a refillery that should be on this list, please reach out, we'd love to grow it!
We're proud to work alongside these amazing stores that embody the philosophy of low- and zero-waste every single day, and we're committed to continuing to expand this network as the movement grows.
If you shop with any of our partners, please tag us on Instagram! We love seeing our community in action, watching empty jars getting filled up, and more people discovering that sustainable skincare doesn't have to mean compromise!
To read more about Tallow and how to choose a sustainable, non-toxic brand, have a look at our recent blog: Just because it's Tallow doesn't mean it's non-toxic.
Your non-toxic lifestyle starts here.
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