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Loblaw to pilot Loop reusable packaging

Test in Toronto area to include President’s Choice products

Russell Redman

June 6, 2019

2 Min Read
Loop_tote_home_delivery.PNG
Loop products are delivered in a special tote bag, where consumers also put the empty containers to be collected for cleaning and reuse.Photos: Loop

Loblaw Cos. will be the first Canadian retailer to implement the Loop reusable packaging system.

Canada’s largest food and drug retailer said Thursday that it plans to pilot the Loop solution in Toronto starting early next year. In the test, participating consumers will be able to order select products from national brands and Loblaw’s President's Choice private label online and have them delivered to their homes in reusable containers.

The news comes about two weeks after Loop unveiled partnerships with The Kroger Co. and Walgreens, the first U.S. retailers to employ its reusable packaging platform. Loop said it has launched its U.S. program in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Loop_reusable_container_Loblaw_Presidents_Choice.pngLoblaw's pilot will include President's Choice products with Loop packaging.

"There is too much plastic waste. Our industry is part of the problem, and we can be part of the solution," Loblaw Executive Chairman Galen Weston said in a statement. "Our partnership with Loop is a powerful example of entrepreneurial innovators working with like-minded large enterprise to bring a meaningful solution to a real problem."

Loop is a circular online shopping platform developed by Trenton, N.J.-based waste management firm TerraCycle. Products available via the Loop platform come packaged in branded, reusable glass or metal containers and are shipped directly to consumers in a specially designed tote bag. After use, consumers place the empty containers into the Loop tote and go online to schedule a pickup. The products are collected free from their homes and then are cleaned, refilled and reused.

Related:Kroger, Walgreens to test Loop reusable packaging

Loop said consumers in the Toronto pilot area who are interested in participating can go to www.buydurable.com to leave their contact information so they can be notified when the test officially launches and apply to take part.

"With its operational scale and its commitment to environmental sustainability, Loblaw is the perfect partner to bring Loop to Canada," said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of Loop and TerraCycle. "Together, as we bring back the milkman model of yesterday, rebooted to reflect the convenience of today, we will help to eliminate the idea of waste and bring a better product experience to consumers."

Brampton, Ontario-based Loblaw has a retail network of 2,424 stores, including 550 corporate-owned supermarkets, 1,339 associate-owned drug stores and 535 franchised grocery stores.

In the U.S. Loop pilot with Kroger and Walgreens, participating customers can shop more than 100 products — including food, beverages, health and beauty care, and nonfood items — that were redesigned with brand-specific, durable containers. Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies taking part include Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Nestle, PepsiCo, The Clorox Co., Colgate-Palmolive, RB (Reckitt Benckiser) and SC Johnson. Also, in May, Loop and French food retailer Carrefour announced the launch of a similar test serving Paris.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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