Beiersdorf joins the zero-waste shopping platform Loop

• The new shopping platform Loop will be launched during spring of 2019 in Paris and New York
• The aim of the initiative being planned by leading brands and TerraCycle is to prevent waste by using durable, refillable product packaging
• Beiersdorf will support the pilot phase of Loop by offering a product from the NIVEA MEN range

Hamburg, January 24, 2019 – A new era is dawning, an age in which sustainability and e-commerce will be turned into a single innovative solution. During spring of 2019, TerraCycle, the world’s leading company for recycling complex packaging, will team up with a number of leading brands and launch the zero-waste shopping platform Loop. The objective of the initiative is to eliminate disposable packaging and to provide consumers with a convenient, environmentally friendly solution based on durable, refillable product packaging and a closed-loop supply chain. Once in operation, Loop will pick up used products at consumers’ homes, clean them and then refill, reuse or recycle them. Beiersdorf will add a product from the NIVEA MEN range to the assortment in the pilot phase, in which a number of other leading consumer goods makers will also be involved. The pilot project is designed to determine whether this innovative idea can become a long-term solution for consumers.

“Sustainability has a long tradition at Beiersdorf. As our sustainability strategy ‘We care.’ shows, we always strive to integrate sustainability elements throughout the entire value chain into our processes. The Loop platform is an excellent way to save resources by completely reusing our product packaging,” says Dorle Bahr, Head of Environmental Sustainability. Michael Becker, Head of Packaging, adds: “We are really happy to be a part of this innovative idea from the very start. We think it has tremendous potential and will help to establish reusable product packaging alongside traditional packaging for our products.”

Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle, says Loop has two main goals: to solve the environmental problems created by non-returnable packaging while keeping the convenience that customers currently enjoy. He says: “Loop basically boils down to reinventing the milk man from the 1950s, when products were delivered to consumers’ doorsteps in reusable packaging. Once the products have been used, the packaging will be picked up and refilled. Loop represents the future of consumption – a future in which waste will be replaced by refillable product packaging.”

The pilot phase of Loop will be launched in the Paris metropolitan area and the Northeastern United States, including New York City. In each city, consumers interested in taking part in the project can apply on the new online shopping platform.

TerraCycle is an innovative waste management company with a mission to eliminate the idea of waste®. Operating nationally across 21 countries, TerraCycle partners with leading consumer product companies, retailers, cities, and facilities to recycle products and packages, from dirty diapers to cigarette butts that would otherwise end up being landfilled or incinerated. In addition, TerraCycle works with leading consumer product companies to integrate hard to recycle waste streams, such as ocean plastic, into their products and packaging. TerraCycle has won over 200 awards for sustainability and has donated over $25 million to schools and charities since its founding 15 years ago.