We try to be as eco-conscious as possible, but even if we bring our own bags to the grocery store, shop at the farmers market, and store our leftovers in glass containers, we still can’t help the fact that most big brands are selling their products in plastic and other nonreusable containers.
One company is trying to change all that.
Loop was introduced at the World Economic Forum on Thursday. It’s a platform that seeks to change how those big-name brands sell their products — to make it possible to use reusable containers for things like dish soap, shampoo, laundry detergent and even ice cream.
Major consumer product companies create Loop, the first-ever e-commerce circular shopping system. #SUEZ is pleased to join this initiative: a convenient & enhanced #CircularEconomy solution for consumers, preserving #resources ➡️ https://t.co/G0B71YUvFm#getintheloop#wef19pic.twitter.com/EE2PaZboV6
— SUEZ (@suez) January 24, 2019
Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle and creator of Loop, said during the forum, “Loop is about the future of consumption. And one of the tenets is that garbage shouldn’t exist.”
That’s why he created Loop. Basically, using Loop, people would order the types of supplies that usually are bought in plastic, cardboard or other nonreusable containers, and Loop would have them delivered right to customers’ doors in reusable metal containers. When a container is empty, it would be picked up, washed and refilled and returned.
Loop is a new way to shop, offering items all in reusable packaging. After using the products, customers put the empty containers in a tote on their doorstep. The containers are then picked up, cleaned and refilled, and shipped out to consumers again. https://t.co/v9XCYrXFwMpic.twitter.com/us7ndCe9Zs
— CNN (@CNN) January 24, 2019
The people behind Loop got the idea, not from something new and modern, but something old.
“We’re going back to the milkman model of the 1950s. You buy the milk but the milk company owns the bottle, which you leave in the milk box to be picked up when you’re done with it.”
In order to make Loop feasible, they needed to partner with some big names, and they did. Nestle, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo and others are signed on to try the new system.
But not all containers will have the same look. According to Virginie Helias, vice president and chief sustainability officer at Procter & Gamble, who also spoke at the forum, “Tide in the U.S. will come in a stainless-steel bottle with a durable twist cap. Cascade will come in ultra-durable packaging. Crest mouthwash will come in a glass bottle,” and Pantene Pro-V “will come in a beautifully decorated, lightweight-aluminum pump container.”
Even ice cream will be able to be delivered through Loop.
A new platform called Loop "is about the future of consumption." The goal is for products to be delivered in sleek, reusable containers so that they can be picked up at your door, washed and refilled. https://t.co/l26idsLEGz
Do you love the new concept?
— NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) January 24, 2019
TerraCycle, the company behind Loop, has already started experimenting with new reuse-and-recycle models. In Amsterdam, they have an eco-friendly diaper disposal pail program, and the whole system is supposed to launch this spring in Paris, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, followed by the U.S. West Coast, Canada, the U.K. and Japan in 2020.
Hey, we’re excited to use anything that makes being eco-friendly a little easier, and if it means we also don’t have to deal with those long grocery store lines anymore, consider us doubly on board!
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