Loop is a subscription model where deliveries are made to a customer’s front door in packaging that is then collected, cleaned, refilled and re-used. The foods and household goods it sells online are made in reusable packaging and can be sent back via a free pick up to avoid throwing them away.
Protect our planet
Laurent Freixe, CEO, Nestlé Americas, said Loop challenges companies to take a fresh look at the value chain and integrate reusable packaging to reduce waste.
"Nestlé is proud to be a founding investor and partner of Loop. It’s a critical part of our commitment to work with consumers to protect our planet for future generations," he said.
Häagen-Dazs will be sold on Loop in a reusable double-walled steel ice cream container that keeps ice cream at optimal condition during transport and consumption.
The canister design ensures that when opened, the ice cream melts more quickly at the top than at the bottom of the container.
Consumers will be able to buy Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Salted Fudge, Coconut Caramel and Mocha Chocolate Cookie or traditional favorites Vanilla and Strawberry on Loop as part of a pilot project in New York in the first half of 2019.
Speaking about the in-house design, a Nestlé spokesperson said this is ‘all new packaging’ made out of stainless steel and it chose ice cream because it is ‘one of the most challenging categories to do’.
He added it was looking forward to seeing the results of the pilot scheme and to further spread the word about Loop.
The announcement comes after Nestlé pledged to accelerate action to tackle plastic waste and make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.
'Pushing the boundaries'
According to Mark Schneider, CEO, Nestlé, 100% recyclability is not enough to tackle the plastics waste crisis because ‘we need to push the boundaries and do more’.
“We are determined to look at every option to solve this complex challenge and embrace multiple solutions that can have an impact now. We believe in the value of recyclable and compostable paper-based materials and biodegradable polymers, in particular where a recycling infrastructure does not exist,” he added.
“Addressing the multifaceted issue of plastic pollution requires a holistic view and a well-orchestrated effort.
Tom Szaky, founder/CEO, TerraCycle, said he launched Loop as ‘a disruptive ecosystem for CPGs that will eliminate waste altogether’.
However, he did say: ‘Collecting and recycling ocean plastic is not the answer to ocean plastic. It is critically important, but it’s not going to solve it,’ that is why it launched Loop at the World Economic Forum in January 2019.
“We’re working with the world’s biggest companies, moving their supply chains—everything from shampoo to ice cream, and from disposable packaging, which is what creates ocean plastic, to durable supply chains, where the waste is never created whatsoever,” he told GreenerPackage.
“There’s nothing to recycle, nothing to dispose of. We feel like we need to do both: We need to eliminate the need for disposability, and in parallel, clean up the ocean as much as possible.”
Loop currently employs about 30 people, and will launch in Paris and the US. It started with 1,000 products, including baby clothes to shampoo, ice cream, orange juice, to cereals etc and it has plans to expand adding more products. Current partners include Unilever, Evian, Hellmann’s, Nature’s Path Organic, Hidden Valley, to name a few.
PepsiCo says it will participate in the Paris trial, which will launch in May, with Tropicana Orange Juice and Quaker Cruesli Chocolat.
“As critical as our work with our partners is, we need transformational systems, and we think Loop is an example of that. I don’t think Loop on its own is the answer, but I do think an ecosystem or systems like Loop will be the answer,” said Szaky.