Tesco has teamed up with the zero-waste shopping service, Loop, to offer the UK’s first first online shopping service that delivers food, drink and household essentials from leading brands in reusable packaging.

The new service, which was originally due to launch in March but was pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic, aims to change the way households shop and consume amid concern about the global single-use plastic binge.

Customers are now able to purchase a variety of goods such as drinks, sauces, yogurt, shampoo, soaps and toothpaste – from brands including Heinz, Coca-Cola, Danone, Persil, Jackpot, Brewdog and Nivea – via the Loop website in fully reusable packaging which can be returned, cleaned and refilled through the scheme.

Loop launched in the UK on 15 July with 150 products from 35 major brands. The product inventory is expected to increase in the future. If the online service is a success, reusable containers could be a feature in Tesco stores by as early as 2021, with dedicated aisles in its stores.

Every time a customer places an order on Loop, they pay a deposit on each piece of packaging. This deposit fee is then refunded once the customer has returned the container(s). 

Returning the packaging is easy. Customers simply fill out an online form requesting that the reusable containers be picked up. Alternatively, customers can drop containers off at one of DPD’s 2,500 collection points across the UK.

TerraCycle, Loop’s parent company, then receives the used packaging and thoroughly cleans it so that it can be safely reused by the manufacturer.

Loop has been operating in Paris and New York, and has witnessed growth during the coronavirus crisis. The zero-waste shopping service is expected to launch in Canada, Japan and Australia later this year and in early 2021.

Loop

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living.