Our Story
My name is Steph Reed and I’m the founder and owner of Reed’s Refillery. The shop opened in April 2022, born out of a desire and drive to make sustainable living more accessible to the local community.
I first became truly aware of the issues caused by plastic pollution in 2017. Blue Planet II was incredible, but the last episode, which exposed how plastic was affecting every element of marine life, from entering into the food chain to being found at the bed of the deepest oceans, really shocked me. In particular, Sir David Attenborough’s closing line really struck a chord with me:
“Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet and never before have we had the power to do something about that – surely we have a responsibility to care for our blue planet.”
What started as a personal journey to reduce waste in my own home quickly blossomed into something much bigger. By mid-2021 I had become increasingly frustrated that I was only able to access sustainable household products online, therefore I was unable to sample products, understand how they worked and had to navigate several websites to get what we needed. Oh, and it was expensive! Paying £40 for baby-friendly bubble bath was not a solution.
It was at this time that I became aware of ‘Zero Waste’ shops opening across the country, so after visiting several across the North West and sharing my vision for what one could look like in Chorley with the local community, the idea of opening the shop quickly snowballed into becoming an inevitability. The demand was evident, the location was found, and with a little crowd-funding boost, Chorley had its own Zero Waste Shop right in the heart of the town centre.
Our Mission
& Commitment
We’re here to make sustainable living accessible to everyone in Chorley and beyond. This isn’t just a shop – we’re also here to give impartial, practical advice to directly support your sustainability ideas, choices and goals.
Not sure how to use a shampoo bar? Which seeds are best for gut health? Want to know how dryer balls help the environment? Just ask. We are also committed to helping others reduce food waste. This is why we stock over 250 foodstuffs on refill, meaning that you can get as much or as little as you need; whether it be a specific weight for a recipe, a small scoop-full to try or a large jar-full because it’s your go-to ingredient! By weighing and paying for both your food and liquid refills you save space, money and potential waste.
We believe that small, consistent actions by many can create meaningful impact, and we’re here to support every step of your sustainable journey.
Meet Our Team
We’re a small but passionate team, driven to support our customers first and foremost. You’ll meet Steph, Lynsey and Martin during the week and then Hannah, Lily and Alex on Saturdays.
Name: Steph Reed
Position: Owner
Favourite Product: UpCircle Peptide Serum
Sustainability Goal: Getting back into batch
cooking more to save time and energy!
Name: Lynsey
Position: Weekday Assistant
Favourite Product: Droyts Soap
Sustainability Goal: To further reduce the
amount of soft plastic coming into our home.
Name: Martin
Position: Weekday Assistant
Favourite Product: Bombay Mix
Sustainability Goal: To find an eco-alternative
to replaceable toothbrush heads which are
affordable.
Name: Lily
Position: Saturday Assistant
Favourite Product: Pretzels
Sustainability Goal: To continue to avoid
fast fashion and instead use sites like Vinted.
Name: Hannah
Position: Saturday Assistant
Favourite Product: Matcha Green Nettle
Hampstead Tea.
Sustainability Goal: To research a wider
range of eco products suitable for a student
budget.
Name: Alex
Position: Saturday Assistant
Favourite Product: Milk Chocolate Honeycomb
Sustainability Goal: To use and refill every herb
and spice as part of my cooking.
Name: Martha
Position: Mini Assistant
Favourite Product: All the bath bombs!
Sustainability Goal: To creatively re-use
cardboard from the shop to draw on and
build with.
Zero Waste
Shopping Experience
Bring your own containers to refill or borrow a donated one. Every product we offer is carefully selected to eliminate unnecessary packaging. We work directly with suppliers who share our values and supply goods in reusable or recyclable packaging and containers. For example, SESI, Suma and Miniml all supply their liquid refills within a ‘closed loop’ system.
When a product tub or barrel has been emptied, it is kept in storage by us until the supplier’s next delivery date, where they are all handed back to them, returned to the factory, washed, cleaned, refilled and then sent out again. That container stays in the looped system for as long as possible to reduce waste, footprint and costs.
Local First
We prioritise local suppliers whenever possible, reducing transportation emissions and supporting our community’s economy. From Chorley-made bathroom products to locally sourced household accessories and gift items, we’re proud to showcase what our town and county has to offer. We also love supplying goods to local businesses to!
From bar snacks and washing up liquid to herbs and spices, we work with a wide-range of local businesses who look to replenish and run their workplace as sustainably as possible. How many do you recognise?
Education &
Community
We regularly post hints, tips and our own examples of sustainable living via our social media platforms. Steph understands that, sometimes, a simple picture and text about a product isn’t always enough, therefore she regularly examples how to use various products and accessories, from reusable face pads to make-up brush cleaner – seeing is believing!
We also love working with local schools and community groups to help to educate others about different elements of sustainability and to keep spreading Sir David Attenborough’s message.
Net Zero
Journey
We were delighted to be one of the first businesses in Chorley to receive Net Zero Business Accreddiation by Chorley Council in 2024.
We were recognised as having taken significant measures to help reduce the town’s environmental impact and demonstrated our commitment to ongoing improvements in our sustainability efforts both internally as a business and externally within the community. We’re transparent about our journey and share both our successes and challenges.
