Forty percent of the plastic produced worldwide is used for packaging, which ends up in landfills. This is one of the problems that companies, such as the Chilean firm Algramo, have tackled with innovative solutions, such as designing systems that allow users to reuse the containers for food or detergents conveniently and efficiently. 

One of the most recent innovations in this area was recently launched by Terracycle, a company that began as a student startup at Princeton University in 2002. Terracycle, which developed imaginative recycling systems for consumer products and packaging, launched in 2019 Loop, which offers more than 300 products —from Herbal Essences shampoos to Häagen-Dazs ice cream, from Tropicana orange juice to Milka cookies— all in reusable packaging. Once the products have been used, customers leave the empty containers in a Loop bag at the door. A delivery service then picks up the containers, which are cleaned, refilled, and returned to consumers. 

Now, in a move that brings it closer to the model of Algramo, Loop has partnered with a Tokyo supermarket chain to set up drop-off points for reusable containers, after which the amount charged to the user for the container is credited to the customer’s account.

You can read Loop's story HERE