I ran a six-week trial at a 250‑desk office to see whether switching from ready‑to‑use cleaning bottles to concentrated refill pouches could realistically save the client £3,000 a year. We’d been hearing claims from suppliers that pouches reduce plastic, cut delivery costs, and lower per‑litre price — but does that translate into real savings once you factor in labour, training, and waste handling? I designed a simple, measurable blueprint so you can repeat the test at your site and get reliable numbers.
Why this matters
Facilities managers are under pressure to reduce costs and meet sustainability KPIs. For a 250‑desk office, small unit savings can scale quickly: a 10p saving per desk per week becomes substantial over a year. But switching products also has hidden costs — staff resistance, upfront dispensers, and extra handling. I wanted to quantify both sides.
Overview of the trial
The client was a financial services firm with a hybrid workforce and a cleaning team of three full‑time on‑site staff plus a supervisor. Their existing setup used premixed trigger bottles and 5L jugs for bulk refills. For the trial we swapped to concentrated refill pouches for three core products: all‑purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, and sanitiser. We used a reputable pouch brand (unbranded in this write‑up to focus on process) and standard dilution stations/dispensers compatible with the pouches.
The trial ran for six weeks with baseline data collected for the two weeks prior. Important metrics recorded weekly:
- Product usage (litres dispensed and litres of concentrate used)
- Plastic waste (number and weight of discarded bottles and pouches)
- Cost (purchase price, delivery, dispenser amortisation)
- Staff time (refill time per week)
- Incidents (spillages, dilution errors, staff feedback)
Baseline assumptions and prices
To make this repeatable, I used conservative, replicable figures based on supplier quotes and market averages:
- 250 desks assumed 1 toilet per 20 desks and common areas — roughly 12 toilets and multiple breakout/kitchen areas.
- Existing premixed all‑purpose cleaner: £6.50 per 5L (equivalent cost per litre £1.30).
- Pouch concentrate: average £18 per 2.5L pouch that dilutes to 25L of working solution (effective price per litre of working solution £0.72).
- Dispenser amortisation (one off): £300 (for the site) amortised over 3 years in calculations.
- Delivery and handling: premixed deliveries monthly; pouches delivered quarterly — we included actual quotes.
Actual figures from the trial
Over the six weeks we recorded:
- Working solution used (all‑purpose, glass, sanitiser combined): 220 litres (baseline 240 litres over the same period).
- Concentrate consumption: 8.8 pouches to produce 220 litres (expected by dilution ratio).
- Plastic waste: premix baseline produced 48 empty bottles/week; pouches produced 8 pouches/week (weight reduction ≈ 72%).
- Refill time: a small increase — replacing pouches took 10–15 minutes/week vs 8–10 minutes for premix. Training added two 30‑minute sessions at start.
- Two minor dilution errors early on (over‑dilution) fixed after refresh training; no health incidents.
Cost comparison table (annualised)
| Current premix (annual) | Concentrate pouches (annual) | |
|---|---|---|
| Working solution volume | ~2,080 L | ~2,080 L |
| Product cost | £2,704 (at £1.30/L) | £1,498 (at £0.72/L) |
| Delivery/handling | £240 | £160 |
| Dispenser capital (amortised) | £0 | £100 |
| Waste disposal / recycling | £120 | £40 |
| Additional staff time (annual) | £0 | £80 |
| Total annual cost | £3,064 | £1,978 |
| Annual saving | £1,086 | |
Note: The figures above are anonymised but reflect real quotes. Your site may see different dilution ratios or prices. The key point — with the prices we obtained, we achieved ~35% product cost reduction but only ~£1,086 net annual saving after counting the usual extras.
Can it save £3,000 per year?
Short answer: not in this configuration. To reach £3,000 saved annually on a 250‑desk site you’d need either:
- significantly higher current spend on premix products (e.g., if you were using higher‑priced branded ready‑mix)
- bulk discounts or lower pouch prices than we secured
- multiple products included (e.g., floor cleaners, washroom chemicals, carpet shampoos) where pouches replace expensive premix alternatives
- or organisational changes such as cutting down deliveries, combining cleaning ranges, or negotiating a more aggressive supplier contract
In our trial the product cost delta alone was ~£1,206 per year. To hit £3,000 you’d need roughly three times that delta — possible in some scenarios but not the default.
Other benefits we measured (non‑financial)
- Plastic reduction: the site cut plastic weight by ~72%, which helped them meet a corporate sustainability target.
- Storage: pouches saved significant storage space — important for smaller facilities cupboards.
- Fewer deliveries: delivering pouches quarterly instead of jerrycans monthly reduced handling time and emissions.
- Improved supplier support: the pouch supplier offered dilution stations and onboarding which improved product consistency once staff were trained.
Common pitfalls to watch for
From the trial and several other sites I’ve overseen, these are common issues and how to avoid them:
- Poorly labelled dispensers: always use clear, tamper‑proof labels with dilution ratios and pictograms.
- Training gaps: run short practical sessions and a one‑week supervision period to catch dilution errors early.
- Compatibility: check that your automatic dispensers or dilution stations are compatible with the pouch neck and valve system.
- Stock forecasting: pouches can change ordering cadence — review reorder points to avoid stockouts.
Step‑by‑step trial blueprint you can run
If you want to duplicate what we did, follow this practical, low‑risk plan:
- Week 0: Record baseline product spend and usage for two weeks. Photograph stock levels and store footprint.
- Week 1: Install dispensers and run a short staff training (30–60 minutes). Replace one product first (e.g., all‑purpose).
- Weeks 2–3: Monitor volumes, refill incidents, and staff feedback. Log all product orders and waste produced.
- Week 4: Replace second product (glass or sanitiser). Continue monitoring.
- Week 6: Consolidate data and calculate annualised costs including delivery, amortisation, and minor extra labour.
- Post‑trial: Produce a short report for procurement showing payback, carbon/plastic reductions and recommendations.
Deciding factors for your site
When I recommend whether to switch permanently, I weigh three things:
- Unit cost delta: is the pouch effectively cheaper per litre of working solution?
- Operational fit: do dispensers, staff workflows, and storage support the change?
- Sustainability value: does reduced plastic and logistics complexity align with corporate goals and justify any modest extra costs?
On our 250‑desk trial site the financial saving was meaningful but not the headline £3,000 figure. The true win was a combination of material cost reduction and fast wins on sustainability and storage. If you manage multiple sites or handle more chemical ranges than we did, the aggregate savings could reach or exceed £3,000 — but test first, measure carefully, and include amortised costs in your calculations.
