Major packaged goods sellers and retailers, under pressure to cut the flow of single-use plastic bottles and containers clogging the world’s waterways, have teamed with recycling and shipping firms on an e-commerce service that puts a twist on the old-fashioned milkman. Government bans on products such as single-use plastic water bottles, shopping bags and polystyrene cups have sent retailers and consumer goods companies searching for solutions.
Loop was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, it delivers products such as orange juice, shampoo and laundry detergent in reusable glass and metal bottles to shoppers’ doorsteps and retrieves the empties for cleaning and reuse.
The service launches in May with projects in Paris and the New York area. Other major cities such as Toronto and Tokyo will follow next year.
Users order products online and put down fully refundable deposits for the reusable packaging. They can wipe out shipping fees of €18 or so by including about seven items in their order, said Tom Szaky, chief executive of TerraCycle.
Loop’s Paris retail partner Carrefour will test and tweak the programme ahead of the official launch.
PepsiCo will start a 5,000-household Paris project with orange juice in glass bottles and cereal in steel containers, said Simon Lowden, president and chief marketing officer of global snacks and insights
Users order products online and put down fully refundable deposits for the reusable packaging. Loop’s refundable deposits range from 25 cents for a Coca-Cola 200ml bottle to €47 for Pampers recycling
Carrefour secretary general Laurent Vallée stated that Loop challenges industry and consumers to act, to think and to buy differently.