At first, Loop looks like any other supermarket, but on closer inspection, one notices the omnipresence of glass or metal packaging.
Together with the recycling firm TerraCycle, the company has developed partnerships with big names of the agro-food and hygiene industry (Ariel, Coca Cola, Milka, Nivea, Signal and even Carrefour) in order to create containers specific to each product. and which are reusable or recyclable.
All packagings are returnable for a sum going from 10 cents to 5 euros [0.1 to 1.1 USD] added to the price of the product. There is an “automatic refill” option for the products purchased on a regular basis, so as to pay the deposit only for the first order.
They are then put in the delivery bag for Loop to collect, clean and sterilize to be used again.
However, this approach comes at a relatively high cost. Consumer goods are more expensive on the platform. A 1L (plastic) bottle of coke costs 1.23 euros [1.37 USD] on Carrefour.fr and 3.10 euros [3.46 USD] at Loop (+ 0.35 euro cents [+0.39 USD] deposit) for a glass bottle. Delivery costs vary from 20 euros [22 USD], for orders of 75 euros [84 USD] or less, and 10 euros [11 USD], for orders of more than 150 euros [167 USD].
The company is currently in a pilot phase in Paris and its region.
