One of the most ambitious attempts to eliminate plastic waste from weekly groceries is set to launch next month. The Loop, as it’s called, will be a major new online service backed by the world’s biggest brands that will deliver products ranging from soft drinks to washing powder and shampoo in refillable containers to your front door. The service will also include products such as refillable Sure and Dove deodorant sticks, and pots of Signal toothpaste pellets, which do away with the need for plastic tubes.
The delivery service which bills itself as the “milkman reimagined” aims to change the way households shop and consume amid growing concern about the global plastic binge. At the beginning, customers will only be able to buy items through the Loop website, but Loop is working with supermarkets to get their reusable containers in stores soon.
With backing from massive companies such as Unilever and PepsiCo, Loop actually has the potential to cut plastic waste from households. The key to success, however, lies on customers and their willingness to go the extra step to return containers once they’ve used them.