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Are You In The Loop?

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Zero-Waste Shopping Platform Loop Is Now Available Nationwide 

Global circular shopping platform Loop can now be used by consumers across the contiguous U.S., the company recently announced. The platform is owned by Trenton, New Jersey-based company TerraCycle. The move represents the latest phase in the program’s mission to “eliminate the Idea of Waste® in an approachable way that is accessible to all.”

Loop was launched last year by TerraCycle, which began a pilot program in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. in May 2019, and also began testing the platform in Paris. At the official launch of the pilot, TerraCycle Co-founder and CEO Tom Szaky confirmed that The Kroger Company and Walgreens had joined as Loop’s U.S. system’s founding retailers. The pilot was also supported by brands including Procter & Gamble, Nestlé, Unilever, PepsiCo, and UPS, according to Environment + Energy Leader. Following the launch of the pilot, the platform has grown exponentially.

Source: Loop Media Room

According to the company, since its launch last year in the Northeast U.S. and Paris, France and, most recently in the UK in July, Loop has “seen substantial growth in its brand partners and product assortment – now with over 80 brands and 400 products globally and more than 100,000 people signed up for the service.” Szaky told The Business Download in a statement, “To expand so quickly shows Loop’s scalability at a time when consumers are urging companies to be more sustainable and to move from single-use to reusable packaging.”

Using Loop is simple. Customers can go onto the platform’s website and place their orders through the online store which features products ranging from bath and body to pantry items. “As of today, U.S. consumers can order over 100 products from more than 30 brands in categories ranging from beauty to grocery to household goods with that assortment expected to double by year’s end,” Loop noted. A fully refundable deposit is required “to borrow the packaging” for items purchased, according to the platform’s ‘How It Works’ page. 

Customers are sent their items in a reusable tote bag, packaged in reusable containers. Once people are finished using products, they can schedule a free home pick up or return them to a UPS drop off location. However, Loop says that it has an even easier return system in the works–looking to partner with local restaurants and stores to create new collection centers.

Those with concerns over cleanliness can rest assured that product sanitation is of utmost importance and strict measures are in place. According to the company’s Cleaning Systems section, every package undergoes a rigorous hygienic cleaning process specially designed for its category and product type. “Loop’s cleaning and sanitization are aligned with US Food and Drug Administration standards,” the company states. Szaky told Grist earlier this year that Loop’s cleaning system is “at the most sophisticated level washing can be.”

Although Loop said that the service is currently limited to online orders, the company confirmed that it “will be available in-store when it is embedded in its retail partners brick and mortar spaces in 2021. Next year, consumers will be able to shop for Loop products in select Kroger stores in the United States.”

“The expansion is Loop’s latest iteration. We’re excited to expand even more…moving in-store in 2021 in the U.S. and into new countries…Canada, Australia and Japan,” Szaky said to The Business Download.

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