Barriers to meeting circular economy objectives using refill business models: A UK and Vietnamese context

The replacement of single use plastic packaging with reusable containers is increasingly regarded as a potentially viable sustainable business model if brought to scale. 
We aimed to study barriers to ‘on the go’ refilling, as an alternative reuse business model aligned to circular economy objectives in Vietnam and the UK. 
Eleven key informant interviews captured sector stakeholder views alongside an online survey (n=326). The 11 non-coded interview transcripts and spreadsheet of original survey data gathered using Qualtrics software are contained in the dataset published here.
Eight interlinked structural and commercial barriers were identified. Barriers including communication and clarification of the benefits of reuse were higher in Vietnam but more likely to be overcome than a less flexible UK sector with a dominant recycling infrastructure. 
This research outcome will alert policymakers to the challenges of a business model that is unlikely to grow to scale without bold and urgent policy support and a move away from a focus on bottom-up barriers that can delay consumer transition to a circular economy.