Reusable packaging has reached “industrial scale” in France, as more than 370 products across 345 supermarkets join the Loop reuse platform.
The Loop model has been piloted in multiple markets, including the UK, US, Canada and Japan, but it is in France where it’s working at scale.
“What made this possible wasn’t consumer demand alone but the alignment of regulation, funding, and supply chain convenience for all actors,” explained Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle and Loop.
It was six years ago that Carrefour became the first retailer in the world to launch Loop in-store, following an initial e-commerce pilot. Since then, the retailer has expanded to 345 stores across France, introducing more than 50 of its own private-label products to the platform alongside over 370 products from national and global brands. Retailers including Monoprix and Coopérative U, have joined the platform, helping to drive a national movement toward reuse.
Loop’s success in France stands in contrast to widespread deregulation and the rollback of voluntary corporate sustainability commitments in other markets.
The right mix of regulation, strong retailer leadership from commercial partners, financial incentives, and a focus on simplicity and convenience is proving that large-scale reuse is not only possible but also operationally sustainable, Szaky said. “[T]he lesson is clear, if the conditions are right, reuse can become a mainstream way of doing business and not a fringe solution,” he added.
In 2020, France adopted an ambitious law to shape a system-wide transition towards a circular
economy. The ‘law on the fight against waste and for the circular economy’ (Loi relative à
la lutte contre le gaspillage et à l’économie circulaire, referred to in short as the Anti-waste law, or AGEC law) encourages businesses across various sectors, municipalities, and citizens to eliminate waste and adopt more circular practices.
This law seeks to reduce single-use plastic packaging and to develop alternatives such as bulk or reusable packaging. This is done through a set of various measures – including a ban on the use of certain plastic packaging; the inclusion of packaging reduction clauses in extended producer responsibility schemes; and targets for reusable packaging.
“With the AGEC law and the commitment of our businesses and regions, we have built one of the most advanced frameworks for reuse in the world,” said Véronique Louwagie, minister delegate for trade, crafts, small and medium enterprises, and the social and solidarity economy of France. “This isn’t just a national success; it’s a model that inspires, influences, and demonstrates that the transition to a circular economy is possible on a large scale,” she added.
