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Pepsi, Nestle, and more will test reusable packaging subscription service

Pepsi, Nestle, and more will test reusable packaging subscription service

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Reuse your orange juice bottle

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Image: Loop

Pepsi, Unilever, and Nestle plan to start offering their products through a subscription delivery service with one key twist: all of its packaging will be reusable. The service, called Loop, will launch with 25 big-name partners, and it hopes to stand out by offering a more environmentally friendly take on a subscription plan.

Loop compares its service to the milkman. Just like the milkman dropped off fresh milk and then came back for the bottles once people consumed their supply, Loop will have UPS drivers drop off a reusable bag with miscellaneous products inside. Once they’re used, consumers can schedule for their old containers to be picked up and new containers to be dropped off. Loop will handle the cleaning and reuse aspect of the packaging.

The service is supposed to launch in parts of Paris, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in mid-May. Loop is also planning to work out delivery for London through Tesco later this year, and it’s aiming to launch in Tokyo in 2020. For now, it’s starting with a small trial of users.

Every brand designed its own packaging for use with Loop so they stay true to the company’s image while still being reusable. Some of Unilever’s products are expected to last eight years, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The products will cost roughly the same as single-use containers, but people will have to pay a container deposit between $1 and $10, and shipping will start at $20, but it will decrease with every item added.

Image: Loop

It’s a neat idea that fits in with the push to stop the use of disposable straws. If the service is convenient, fast enough, and not overly expensive, I can imagine people actually wanting to use it for the good of the planet.