As shopping from home grows, packaging waste is piling up. Loop offers an alternative: a delivery service for food and home goods that picks up used product packaging, then cleans and reuses it to eliminate trash. Earth911 talks with Heather Crawford, global vice president of marketing and e-commerce at Loop, about the company’s expansion into Canada. Loop now offers service in the U.S., U.K., and France. Its Loop Tote bag is dropped off and picked up by FedEx, and it will soon offer in-store Tote exchanges at Kroger, Walgreens, and Canada’s Loblaws locations. Crawford shares how Loop, which was launched by specialty recycling company TerraCycle, designs reusable packaging that can be repeatedly cleaned and refilled with products in order to reduce post-consumer waste. We also discuss the sustainability of online shopping and how, at scale, it can be more efficient than traditional bricks-and-mortar retail shopping. Loop is partnering with several grocery and drugstore chains to introduce in-store Tote pick-up and drop-off services. Both at-home and retail services are essential to reaching consumers who want to remove single-use packaging from their shopping list. Loop currently offers hundreds of product options and is expanding its partnerships with food and personal care brands to introduce more reusable product packaging. Take a few minutes to learn more at the U.S. Loop store, Canadian store, U.K. store, or the French store.

Loop launches online supermarket in partnership with Loblaws and big food brands Emily Chung, Alice Hopton, Tashauna Reid

  Loop, an online store selling well-known food brands in reusable, returnable containers, has partnered with Loblaws to put sustainably packaged groceries to the test in Canada. 2:07     An online store has launched in Ontario selling groceries and household items from Loblaws in containers it will take back and refill — a test of whether Canadian consumers are ready to change their habits. Industry-watchers say it is breaking ground for reusable packaging. The store, called Loop, launched in Canada on Feb. 1, in partnership with supermarket giant Loblaws, and offers items like milk, oats, ice cream and toothpaste for delivery in most of Ontario. Loop is already operating in the continental U.S., the U.K and France. Included so far are some products from well-known brands such as PC sauces and oils, Häagen-Dazs ice cream, Heinz ketchup, Chipits chocolate chips and Ocean Spray cranberries. "The goal is really validating that this is something the Canadian public is interested in," said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of Loop and its parent company TerraCycle. Unlike existing small no-waste retailers, they want to offer "your favourite product at your favourite retailer in a reusable and convenient manner." The involvement of a huge retailer makes the launch notable in terms of scale and who it will reach, said Tima Bansal, Canada Research Chair in business sustainability at Western University in London, Ont. "I think it's at the scale that's needed to create the change in the community in Canada more generally," she said.

How it works for customers

Szaky likens Loop to the reusable bottle system for beer in Canada "but expanding it to any product that wants to play in the [North American] ecosystem." The ultimate goal, he said, is to give people a greener way to consume that limits the amount of mining and farming needed to produce packaging. "This allows us to greatly reduce the need to extract new materials, which is the biggest drain on our environment.   Nestle's stainless steel Häagan Dazs ice cream container designed for use with Loop cost a million dollars to develop, said Loop's founder. Customers have to pay a $5 deposit on the reusable container. (Chris Crane/TerraCycle/The Associated Press) Loopstore.ca currently lists just 98 products, although many are sold out or "coming soon." As with other online grocery stores, customers fill their virtual shopping cart, but in addition to the cost of the item itself, they pay a deposit for its container. That can range from 50 cents for glass President's Choice salsa jars like the ones that are normally at the supermarket to $5 for a stainless steel Häagen-Dazs ice cream tub. The items are delivered to a customer's home by courier FedEx for a $25 fee, although the fee is waived for orders over $50. Once you've spooned out all the salsa or ice cream or squeezed out all the toothpaste, the container doesn't go in the recycling bin. Instead, you toss them into the tote bag they came in — even if they're dented or damaged — and they get picked up.   When customers have emptied the reusable containers, they are supposed to put them back in the Loop tote for pick up, cleaning and refilling. (Kraft Heinz Canada/The Canadian Press) "What we're trying to achieve with Loop ... is similar to your recycling bin," Szaky said. "Your recycling bin doesn't care where you bought the package you're putting into it. It just cares that it is recyclable. And that's incredibly convenient." In the future, Loop hopes to also sell products in reusable packaging in their own section or aisle in the supermarket to "make reuse as easy as absolutely possible," Szaky said. And he expects customers will also be able to return the containers to participating stores.

How it works for manufacturers, retailers

It's Loop's job to manage the waste, Szaky said. All the used containers are sent to a facility where they get sorted, cleaned, and sent back to manufacturers who refill them. Manufacturers are required to design packaging that can be expected to survive being filled and refilled at least 10 times. "And if it one day breaks … then the materials have to be recyclable back into that same package," Szaky said.   Burger King plans to launch reusable packaging through Loop later this year, as does Tim Hortons. (Burger King/REUTERS) He noted that making the switch to reusable packaging isn't easy for manufacturers, who have to make big adjustments to their entire production process. "It's creating a blend of brand new supply chain on a product-by-product, country-by-country basis. So it is a behemoth task." For example, for Nestlé, developing a new Häagen-Dazs ice cream tub was "about a million dollar project — just that one package," Szaky said. But he added that 15 of the world's largest retailers and 100 major consumer product companies have signed up, and Nestlé has even invested in Loop. "The world's biggest organizations … are taking it very seriously," he said.   In France, where Loop launched earlier, products are also available in stores. For Canada, that is expected to come later. (Loop) In Canada, Loblaws is currently Loop's exclusive partner, but Tim Hortons and Burger King are expected to join later this year. For now, Szaky said, they want to make sure the packaging and products are what people want before scaling up to other retailers and provinces.

'The scale that's needed to create the change'

While a handful of small, zero-waste grocery stores have opened up across the country in recent years, up until now there haven't been any reusable packaging initiatives like this involving large grocery chains and food manufacturers. What's innovative with Loop, said Bansal, is that the would-be waste is moving back through the industrial production cycle. "That's really new. And at that scale, I think we can start to see changes in consumer behaviour." However, she noted there will be challenges, as consumers need to pay the deposits and form new habits. And she thinks change will come slowly. But eventually, she predicts consumers will start to demand reusable packaging. "I think what makes me really excited about the Loblaw-Loop partnership is that it's coming from industry," she added. "I have more hope with this than if it were a government-imposed solution." Laura Yates, a plastics campaigner with Greenpeace Canada, also thinks Loop is a positive development. "It's exactly the type of reuse and refill model that we need," she said. "It's really wonderful that big-name companies that have the resources to invest in developing this type of product delivery system are doing so." She added that once the system is proven, she thinks smaller companies will be able to get funding to develop similar systems. However, she said ultimately, reusable containers can't just be optional for those products. "If they truly want to commit and be a part of moving forward to real solutions, these options need to replace their product lines that are in single use containers and packaging.”

Hoje I'll bring details of a service that I recently tested: Loop . This is a food delivery system created by TerraCycle in order to eliminate the number of garbage that ends up falling into landfills and oceans. When I think of the planet that I want my children (and their children) to live in, I know that services like this should be used and that is why I am writing this post for you today. And the photo above the super happy boys shows that this reason is more than enough, isn't it? Loop is defined as a new way to buy all your favorite products without producing too much waste. The idea is simple: you do NOT need the packaging, but what is inside, correct? So several people can use the same packaging, obviously cleaning and taking important care. This service has already been implemented in the USA and Europe and arrived in Ontario on February 1, 2021.   Below is a summary of how it works, step by step: 1.    You must enter the Loop website and make your purchases here . There are 100 products to choose from and from great brands like Haagen-Dazs, Hersheys, President's Choise and Organic Meadow. There are also little known brands, but they are very pro-nature like Puretto and Noice. 2.    When you make your purchases you will have to make a 100% refundable deposit of the packages, since they are loaned. When you return your products the deposit will be automatically returned to you. 3.    It is worth mentioning here that there is no monthly fee or anything like that and you can use the service as many times as you want. 4.    Delivery is free for purchases over $ 50. 5.    The products are delivered in a box - tote bag - also reusable (see more details about it here ). There is no cardboard, bubble paper or anything that is discarded. The seal that comes in the box must be placed inside it for the company to recycle. The tote bag was made for you to receive and send your products and is completely washable. 6.    After you use all your products you just need to put them washed back in the tote bag and check here for someone to pick up your packaging for free. There is also the option to take to a FedEx drop off point . The service is working so that the packages can be returned to supermarkets and restaurants. This is the seal that comes in the box when you receive it. As it says on it, you must put the cut seal inside the bag for them to recycle. Look at the photo below for the new seal that comes for you to use when sending the products back.   As I said to you, after having consumed all the products, the company's brand comes to pick up the box and uses the seal to close it. The card with your address and that of the company has two sides, so just turn to the side that says: “delivered to the company” and that's it. The products thus come inside the box: all with dividers and a foam that will be cleaned and reused in the next purchase. Obviously - and especially in the times we are living in - the biggest question is about cleaning the packaging. And everything is explained here . In short, there are many rules, audits and laws that make this cleaning safe.   Here are some of the products we received to test this experience: juice, ketchup, tomato sauce, olive oil, soap, dipping sauce, toothpaste and deodorant. As much as the products are from well-known brands they have a difference: on the packaging there is an indication that the product is from the Loop service (most of the time it is on the label). I thought it was great because until we change our habit, this detail reminds us that we can't throw away the packaging. It is worth mentioning that the Loop is just starting here and they intend to expand to other locations in Canada and also to associate with Tim Hortons so that people use reusable cups for their coffees. I loved the experience and I want to become a regular buyer, because I think this small change in our habits can make a lot of difference there in the future.