Sustainable e-commerce service Loop launches in France

Loop, a shopping startup that creates reusable packages, has launched in France. The whole idea behind this startup is that containers are designed to be used again. Many manufacturers have already teamed up with Loop for sustainable packaging, amongst these manufacturers are Unilever, Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo.

Loop is a sustainability project from global recycling giant TerraCycle. It wants to sell products in multi-use containers so, for every order made through Loop, all packaging is reusable. This initiative changes the ownership model of packaging from consumer to producer. This is because consumers can return all products to the producer to have them refilled.

Teaming up with major manufacturers

To make this project work, the startup teamed up with manufacturers Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Clorox, Nestlé, Mars, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo. These manufacturers redesigned their packaging so they could participate in the sustainable e-commerce project.

The UK will follow France in October

The initiative recently launched in Paris and it will launch in some cities in the US in the near future. After that, Loop will expand the initiative to London in October 2019. In France, supermarket chain Carrefour is Loop’s main and currently exclusive distribution partner. In the United Kingdom, Tesco will play a similar role.

How Loop works

Customers can order all kinds of products via Maboutiqueloop.fr, from ice cream to toothpaste, from biscuits to Coca-cola. The products are delivered to the customer in glass, steel and other sustainable containers. Consumers receive the products directly to their homes.

Customers pay a small deposit for the reusable packages. When a container is empty, customers can arrange a pickup or bring it to a retailer. They can then choose to have the product refilled. If they don’t, their deposit is returned or credited to their account. The empty bottles and glasses are sent to Loop to be washed and refilled.