At Element Brooklyn, we believe the most powerful step toward sustainability isn’t recycling what we consume, but consuming less by reusing what we already have. That’s why we’ve embraced a closed-loop system with our refillery partners.
In a closed-loop setup, product containers aren’t thrown away after use. Instead, we deliver our soaps and other goods to a store in bulk reusable containers, and once emptied, those containers come back to us to be cleaned and refilled.
What is a Refillery?
Refilleries are stores that specialize in package-free shopping. Instead of buying products in disposable bottles or boxes, customers bring their own containers (or buy a reusable one from the store) and fill them with everything from food staples to soaps and detergents.
Every jar filled here is another package that never existed. Bulk bins: the original infinite loop. Photo courtesy Maison Jar.At a refillery, you can buy exactly the quantity you need by weight or volume, which cuts down on waste and avoids the need for single-use plastic, and helps make us more mindful of what we're consuming.
Maison Jar: A Closed-Loop Partner in Brooklyn
Maison Jar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, was one of our first ever retail partners. Since opening in 2022, this low-waste grocery and refillery has been a one-stop shop for local residents to purchase pantry goods, cleaning supplies, and personal care products without single-use packaging. Maison Jar’s team puts a big emphasis on sourcing products from local and organic suppliers, and they prioritize working with producers through closed-loop arrangements.
Two of the many bulk-format products carried at Maison Jar.Our partnership with Maison Jar embodies this closed-loop philosophy. We deliver Element Brooklyn liquid soaps in 15 gallon refillable drums. Shoppers at Maison Jar can bring their own jar or bottle and refill it. When a drum is empty, we sanitize it and use it again for the next delivery.
re_grocery: Expanding Reuse to Los Angeles
We’re excited to announce a new closed-loop partnership on the West Coast with re_grocery, an innovative refillery in Los Angeles. Founded in 2020, re_grocery was created with a mission to eliminate the need for single-use plastic in the grocery shopping experience. It started as Los Angeles’ first refill-focused, zero-waste grocery store and has since grown to three locations (in Mar Vista, Studio City, and Highland Park). Each re_grocery store offers hundreds of organic, high-quality products in bulk – from pantry foods and spices to cleaning supplies and personal care – all without disposable packaging.
Re_grocery now carries several of our signature soaps at its refill stations, including Desert Bloom Body Soap, Kiso Forest Body Soap, and Mandarin Crush Hand Soap. We’ve implemented the same closed-loop system here as we have in Brooklyn.
Our body soaps have become one of re_grocery's best selling products.Re_grocery’s values align closely with ours. They only stock brands that share a focus on sustainability and offer products in bulk or refillable formats. Thanks to this approach of “rethink, reuse, refill,” re_grocery has diverted over 500,000 single-use packages from landfills since launching. Every item in their stores is either reusable or 100% recyclable, demonstrating that nearly every aspect of grocery shopping can be made zero-waste.
Supporting Local Reuse & Refill
By refilling instead of discarding, we prevent countless plastic bottles and packages from entering the trash stream. Just as importantly, we support community-based reuse: each refill station is a hub where people can develop greener habits and find like-minded community. We’re proud that refilleries near and far are using Element Brooklyn products and can't wait to expand our network further.
