Innovative startup Loop gets consumers to return their containers while not missing out on some leading brands
An innovative reusable packaging system is attracting some of the world’s leading consumer brands to provide an alternative for their consumers to get their favorite goods without having to dispose of the packaging and send to landfills.
Loop, a startup which offers a circular packaging approach to consumer products has been signing up sustainable brands, and recently some of the major brands in the United States, to enable them sell their products using reusable and refillable containers.
As more consumers awaken to the unsustainability of single-use packaging and its pollutive effect once disposed on landfills, as well as the dangers it may cause to animals when mistaken as food, finding alternative options has become painfully difficult.
With Loop, a company owned by US-based TerraCycle, consumers can buy some of their most often used products such as detergents, toothpaste, ice cream, and even pet food in reusable packaging materials.
The products come in durable and convenient packages that are built to last. What’s more, buyers can simply return the reusable items after consumption even without cleaning the items and place them in Loop’s tote bags to be dropped off in its collection stations or be picked up as part of its services.
Consumers buying products in Loop containers need only to give a minimum deposit for the container which will be refunded once they return the packaging. The idea is being tested as well by fast food chains such as Burger King and McDonald’s.
Loop’s innovative solution to single-use packaging has been expanding rapidly in the US and in some cities in Europe. In Paris, Loop has partnered with retail giant Carrefour to offer innovative reusable packaging to its shoppers, including refillable packaging options for known brands such as Nivea, Danone, Evian, Nutella, and Coca-cola.
Following its rapid expansion in North America, Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of Loop, remarked in a statement: “Consumers across the country have urged us to bring Loop to them so we’ve scaled as quickly as possible to make that happen. With consumers shopping more and more online this year, the need for our sustainable, waste-free solution has become even more important.”
The company said it has been offering online over 100 products from over 30 brands – from personal care products to grocery and household goods – and continues to sign up new companies, including expanding in key markets such as Australia, Japan, and Canada.