A coalition of the largest consumer product companies, along with international recycling leader TerraCycle, unveiled a global, first-of-its-kind, shopping system called Loop. The initiative was designed to change the world’s reliance on single use packaging, offer a convenient and enhanced circular solution to consumers, while securing meaningful environmental benefits. Announced at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Loop will enable consumers to responsibly consume a variety of products in customized, brand-specific durable packaging that is collected, cleaned, refilled and reused. The content, if recoverable, will be either recycled or reused.
 
The idea for Loop was founded at the World Economic Forum by TerraCycle and consumer product companies Procter & Gamble, Nestle, PepsiCo, Unilever, Mars Petcare, The Clorox Company, The Body Shop, Coca-Cola European Partners, Mondelēz International, Danone, Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Lesieur, BIC, Beiersdorf, RB, People Against Dirty, Nature’s Path, Thousand Fell, Greenhouse, Grilliance, Burlap & Barrel Single Origin Spices, Reinberger Nut Butter, CoZie and Preserve. Additional partners are leading food retailer Carrefour as the founding retailer and the first to believe in Loop’s model, with leading U.K. retailer Tesco to pilot Loop in the UK later in the year, primary logistics and transportation company UPS and sustainable resource management company Suez.
 
This approach to shopping was made possible as a result of innovation investments made by the founding partners and their commitment to developing more circular supply chains from package design to manufacturing through consumer use. The aim was to offer a zero-waste option for the world’s most popular consumer products while maintaining affordability, improving convenience and returning used disposable or durable items to a circular life cycle either through reuse or recycling. The environmental benefits of Loop durable packaging vs. single use packaging have been proven and verified in Life Cycle Assessments under usage pattern assumptions that will be further validated in pilots scheduled to launch in the spring in France and the northeastern U.S. Additional markets are expected to launch throughout 2019 and 2020.
 
“As a response to the global challenge in managing waste and the opportunity to improve consumers’ experience, a group of committed global brands, retailers, infrastructure companies, along with the World Economic Forum have come together to create a new way to more responsibly consume products,” said TerraCycle CEO Tom Szaky. “Loop will not just eliminate the idea of packaging waste, but greatly improve the product experience and the convenience in how we shop. Through Loop, consumers can now responsibly consume products in specially designed durable, reusable or fully recyclable packaging made from materials like alloys, glass and engineered plastics. When a consumer returns the packaging, it is refilled, or the content is reused or recycled through groundbreaking technology.”
 
How Loop Works

• Shop: Consumers will go to the Loop websites, www.loopstore.com, www.maboutiqueloop.fr or Loop partner retailer’s websites and shop for brands now redesigned to be packaging waste-free.

 

• Receive: Consumers receive their durable products in Loop’s exclusively designed state-of-the-art shipping tote that eliminates the need for single-use shipping materials like cardboard boxes.

 

• Enjoy: Consumers experience elegance and convenience all while eliminating the idea of throw-away packaging waste.

 

• Auto Pick-Up: There is no need to clean and dispose of the package; as consumers finish their products, they place the empty package into one of their Loop Totes. Loop will pick-up directly from their home.

 

• Cleaned: Loop’s team of scientists has developed custom cleaning technologies so that each product may be safely reused.

 

• Refill, Recycle or Reuse: Loop promptly replenishes products as needed and returns the refilled shipping totes to the consumer. If there is recoverable used product such as diapers, pads, razors or brush parts, they will be recovered to be reused or recycled.

 
TerraCycle is an innovative waste management company with a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. Operating nationally across 21 countries, TerraCycle partners with leading consumer product companies, retailers, cities, and facilities to recycle products and packages, from dirty diapers to cigarette butts, that would otherwise end up being landfilled or incinerated. In addition, TerraCycle works with leading consumer product companies to integrate hard to recycle waste streams, such as ocean plastic, into their products and packaging. TerraCycle has won over 200 awards for sustainability and has donated over $25 million to schools and charities since its founding 15 years ago.