Pret A Manger rolls out filtered water fountains across 250 UK outlets

The filtered water is available even for those who are not making a purchase.

Looking to reduce customers’ plastic bottle use, Pret A Manger has rolled out filtered water fountains across 250 of its UK shops.

The chain is also signed up to Refill, a location-based app that connects users with businesses, transport hubs and public spaces where they can fill up water for free.

A survey commissioned by Refill in 2018 found that one in three adults in the UK (34%) felt uncomfortable asking for a reusable bottle to be filled at a restaurant or café when they had not bought anything. One in five people (19%) still felt uncomfortable asking even when they had made a purchase.

Pret said the installation of filtered water fountains is designed to address this concern.

“Although we already offered drinking water on request at all of our shops, we know that behaviour is most likely to change if we can enable people to fill up themselves, rather than having to ask a team member at the counter,” Pret A Manger Director of Strategy & Sustainability Laura Gutowski said.

Pret initially introduced free filtered water stations to 70 shops in 2018 and trialled deposit return schemes to increase plastic bottle recycling rates. Following last year’s launch, Pret teamed up once again with Chilly’s to design a fourth reusable bottle.

35 more units are planned for installation later this year.