Kroger and Walgreens Are Offering Customers a New Way to Shop Zero-Waste
Grocery shopping is about to get a whole lot greener. This week, two mega-retailers, Kroger Co. and Walgreens, announced they're teaming up with Loop, a zero-waste online shopping platform, to offer their customers a new low-waste way alternative to buy their favorite goods.
Built around the traditional "milk man" model of shopping, the Loop system allows you to order your usual grocery and household items—from food and drinks to health and beauty care products—straight to your door in reusable packaging (think: glass and metal tins). Once finished, consumers can place empty containers in designated Loop totes at their doorstep where they will be collected, cleaned, and reused.
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Loop's new eco-model, which launched earlier this year, is currently being tested in select Kroger and Walgreens locations throughout New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Similar tests have also started in France with plans to roll out in London next.
"Loop was designed from the ground-up to reinvent the way we consume by leveraging the sustainable, circular milkman model of yesterday with the convenience of e-commerce," commented Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of Loop and New Jersey-based eco-company, TerraCycle. "TerraCycle came together with dozens of major consumer product companies from P&G to Nestle to Unilever, the World Economic Forum, logistics and transportation company UPS and leading retailers Kroger and Walgreens to create a simple and convenient way to enjoy a wide range of products, customized in brand-specific durable and reusable packaging."
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As for what products shoppers can expect to see available on Loop, participating brands include Unilever, Nestle, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, The Honest Company, The Body Shop, ECOS, and more. In the future, Loop plans to expand its product selection as well as become available on store shelves.
"Our commitment to innovative solutions on our path to Zero Hunger | Zero Waste aligns perfectly with Loop's mission to create a convenient circular packaging platform for consumers," Jessica Adelman, group vice president of corporate affairs at Kroger, said in a statement. "Customers are increasingly seeking out sustainable products and services that fit their lifestyle. As the exclusive grocery retail partner for Loop in the U.S., Kroger is taking another big step toward a world with zero waste."
