Everloop

Loop operates as a circular shopping platform, an initiative of the recycling company TerraCycle, designed to mitigate packaging waste by shifting from a disposable to a reusable model. The company was founded by Tom Szaky, who also founded and serves as the CEO of TerraCycle. Szaky's journey began at Princeton University, where he developed a business producing potent plant food from worm castings fed by cafeteria waste, which he packaged in repurposed soda bottles. This early venture, established in 2001 with Jon Beyer, evolved into TerraCycle, a company focused on recycling hard-to-recycle materials by partnering with major consumer brands. This foundation in tackling waste at its source led to the conception of Loop.

Announced at the World Economic Forum in 2019, Loop officially launched its pilot programs in Paris and the Northeastern U.S. that same year. The platform functions on a modern 'milkman model,' where consumers shop for everyday products from partner brands, but instead of owning and discarding the packaging, they borrow it. The business model involves partnerships with major consumer product companies and retailers like Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Nestlé, Kroger, and Walgreens. Loop's revenue is generated from the sale of products on its platform, while consumers pay a small, refundable deposit for each durable container. This deposit incentivizes the return of the packaging, which is then collected by Loop, professionally cleaned to stringent standards, and sent back to the manufacturers for refilling.

The service offers a range of goods, from groceries and personal care items to household cleaners, in specially designed, durable packaging made of materials like glass and stainless steel. Consumers can place orders online through the Loop store or partner retailers' websites, and the products are delivered in a reusable Loop Tote, eliminating single-use shipping materials. Once the products are used, customers simply place the empty containers back in the tote and schedule a pickup or drop them off at a collection point. The platform has expanded its availability across the contiguous United States, the UK, and France, with plans for further global expansion. By collaborating with global brands, Loop enables them to offer their products in premium, multi-use packaging that can be reused up to 100 times before being recycled, fundamentally altering the consumer relationship with packaging from ownership to borrowing.

Keywords: circular economy, reusable packaging, waste reduction, sustainable shopping, consumer packaged goods, e-commerce platform, deposit-return system, supply chain, brand partnerships, zero-waste