{"id":32070,"date":"2019-02-06T15:23:52","date_gmt":"2019-02-06T15:23:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=32070"},"modified":"2019-02-06T15:23:52","modified_gmt":"2019-02-06T15:23:52","slug":"how-to-solve-the-worlds-plastics-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=32070","title":{"rendered":"How to solve the world&#8217;s plastics problem"},"content":{"rendered":"<div readability=\"482.309974086\">\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">It\u2019s the early 1960s. Girls are fainting over the Beatles, Sean Connery is James Bond and a revolutionary trend is sweeping the United States: Plastic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Plastic is about to have its breakthrough moment in the food industry. The plastic milk jug, specifically, is on the brink of taking off: the \u201cmarket potential is huge,\u201d the New York Times correctly notes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">To American families, a third of which are still getting their milk from a milk man, plastic is a wonder package. It\u2019s lighter than glass. It doesn\u2019t break. Unlike paper cartons, it\u2019s translucent. You can see how much liquid is left in the jug. With a plastic container, everybody wins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Except for the milk man. And, as it would turn out, the planet.<\/p>\n<div class=\"pullquote-wrapper\">\n<aside class=\"pullquote pullquote--standard\" readability=\"2.5\">\n<blockquote readability=\"8\">\n<p class=\"pullquote__quote\">Recycling is a failing industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"pullquote__author\">Tom Szaky, TerraCycle CEO<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Fast forward to now. Plastics are expected to<a href=\"https:\/\/money.cnn.com\/2016\/01\/19\/news\/economy\/davos-plastic-ocean-fish\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">\u00a0outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050.<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/04\/11\/health\/sperm-whale-plastic-waste-trnd\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Marine life is choking<\/a>\u00a0on the debris: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/04\/22\/health\/microplastics-land-and-air-pollution-intl\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Microplastics are in our soil<\/a>, our water, our air, getting into our bodies with potential consequences that we don&#8217;t fully understand yet. Massive amounts of plastic have piled up in landfills, some emitting greenhouse gases and contributing to global warming over the seeming eternity they take to degrade. Plastics are threatening the health of the planet and its inhabitants, and they\u2019re not going away.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Procter &#038; Gamble, Unilever, Nestl\u00e9, PepsiCo, Danone, Mars Petcare, Mondel\u0113z International and others \u2014 some of the world\u2019s largest consumer goods companies \u2014 are partnering on a potential solution to limit future waste. They\u2019re working together on a project known as Loop, announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday. It offers consumers an alternative to recycling \u2014 a system that isn&#8217;t working well these days.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">At this point, the partners are testing the waters. It\u2019s an experiment they\u2019ll roll out to several thousand consumers in New York and Paris this May, with plans to expand to London later in 2019 and Toronto, Tokyo and San Francisco in 2020.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content__float-img-wrapper\" readability=\"32\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnn\/interactive\/2019\/01\/business\/loop-reusable-packaging-mission-ahead\/media\/loop-tote.jpg\" alt=\"The Loop tote bag (Mark Kauzlarich for CNN)\" class=\"article-content__float\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__story-img--caption\">The Loop tote bag (Mark Kauzlarich for CNN)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Loop is a new way to shop, offering about 300 items \u2014 from Tide detergent to Pantene shampoo, H\u00e4agen-Dazs ice cream to Crest mouthwash \u2014 all in reusable packaging.\u00a0After using the products, customers put the empty containers in a Loop tote on their doorstep. The containers are then picked up by a delivery service, cleaned and refilled, and shipped out to consumers again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">In other words, it\u2019s the 21st century milk man \u2014 here to save the world from single-use plastics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Maybe.<\/p>\n<section class=\"article-content__story-video-xl\" readability=\"26\">\n<div class=\"heading-wrapper\" readability=\"7\">\n<h3>\n<span>About\u00a091% of all<\/span><br \/><span>plastic waste has<\/span><br \/><span>never been recycled<\/span><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <video class=\"b-lazy\" playsinline webkit-playsinline autoplay muted loop poster=\"media\/landfill-poster.jpg\"><source src=\"http:\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnn\/interactive\/2019\/01\/business\/loop-reusable-packaging-mission-ahead\/media\/landfill.mp4\" type=\"video\/mp4\"><\/source><\/video><br \/>\n<\/section>\n<h2 class=\"article-content__subheader\">From trash in Trenton to a global stage<\/h2>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Two years ago, Tom Szaky traveled from Trenton, New Jersey to Davos with a half-baked idea\u00a0and a loose plan to pitch it to the leaders of the world\u2019s biggest brands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Szaky, now 37, is the CEO of TerraCycle, a modest waste management company. TerraCycle expects its global 2018 sales to amount to\u00a0$32 million and is currently trying to raise $25 million from small investors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">A Princeton dropout with big ideas and a casual demeanor, Szaky spent the first years of his career talking about \u201cworm poop,\u201d a phrase he used to market his fertilizer business in a way that got him a ton of media attention. By the time he was 24, he had landed contracts with Walmart and Home Depot. His mission \u2014 to eliminate waste first and make a profit second \u2014 is so seductive, some employees have taken major pay cuts to work for TerraCycle. The company\u2019s Trenton headquarters is decorated with garbage; Szaky\u2019s office walls are hanging curtains made from empty plastic bottles.<\/p>\n<div class=\"story-image-wrapper\" readability=\"33\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnn\/interactive\/2019\/01\/business\/loop-reusable-packaging-mission-ahead\/media\/terracycle-CEO.jpg\" alt=\"Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle and the brains behind Loop.\u00a0(Mark Kauzlarich for CNN)\" class=\"article-content__story-img--lg\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__story-img--caption\">Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle and the brains behind Loop.\u00a0(Mark Kauzlarich for CNN)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">At Davos, he said, a certain vibe made top business leaders amenable to his idea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">\u201cHave you ever been to Burning Man?\u201d Szaky asked during an interview with CNN Business. \u201cThe closest comparison \u2014and it\u2019s a weird comparison to me \u2014 is going to Burning Man.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">At Burning Man, the annual week-long event where participants build a temporary community in the Nevada desert, people inherently trust each other, he said. At Davos, he was able to approach any business leader and, because of a similar type of openness, be granted an audience.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Szaky was at Davos in 2017 because TerraCycle had helped Procter &#038; Gamble launch a line of Head &#038; Shoulders shampoo that came in bottles made with plastic collected from beaches. While he was there, Szaky \u2014 a slick, charismatic pitchman \u2014 landed a spot on stage with the CEOs of Walmart, Alibaba and Heineken. He also secured short meetings with the leaders of consumer packaged goods companies and pitched them on his big idea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Szaky asked companies to think differently about who owns their packaging. Today, companies sell consumers both the product and the package it comes in. Ultimately, it\u2019s up to the customer \u2014 and also the municipality where they live \u2014 whether an empty bottle gets recycled or tossed in a landfill. Under the current system, the fate of the bottle is out of the manufacturer\u2019s hands, so companies aim to produce the cheapest possible packages, Szaky said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">But what if, instead, the manufacturer retained ownership of the bottle by collecting and reusing it? The company could count it as a longer-term asset on its balance sheet and depreciate it over time. Under that system, the manufacturer would be incentivized to invest more resources in an elegant, durable design, Szaky argued.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">At Szaky\u2019s pitch meetings, some important subtext went unsaid. The plastic waste that ends up in landfills and oceans has the logos of the world\u2019s biggest brands all over it. He had specifically targeted companies that were featured on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/press-release\/18872\/coca-cola-pepsico-and-nestle-found-to-be-worst-plastic-polluters-worldwide-in-global-cleanups-and-brand-audits\/\" target=\"_blank\">a Greenpeace list of worst plastics polluters<\/a>, because he knew they had a potential public relations crisis on their hands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">\u201cI don\u2019t have to rub this in their face,\u201d Szaky said, because the companies are \u201cpainfully\u201d aware of their reputations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">The consumer goods giants got on board. And after that trip, Szaky got serious about making Loop a reality by Davos 2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Now, eight of the 10 companies mentioned in the Greenpeace report are Loop partners.<\/p>\n<div class=\"story-image-wrapper\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnn\/interactive\/2019\/01\/business\/loop-reusable-packaging-mission-ahead\/media\/flow-chart-desktop.jpg\"  alt=\"Loop Flow Chart\" class=\"article-content__story-img--lg\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"article-content__subheader\">How it works<\/h2>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Loop customers <a href=\"https:\/\/loopstore.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">have to make an account<\/a>\u00a0and fill up a basket online.\u00a0The prices for the items should be comparable to what they would be at a nearby store, Szaky said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">In addition to the regular cost of the item, customers must put down a fully refundable deposit for each package. The deposit varies from about 25 cents for a bottle of Coca-Cola to $47 for a Pampers diaper bin (which TerraCycle said eliminates the need for a Diaper Genie). Shipping becomes free after the customer buys about five to seven items, depending on the size and bulk of the products.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">In the United States, the items arrive via UPS in a Loop tote bag. \u00a0Frozen items, like ice cream, come in a cooler within the tote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">As customers go through products \u2014 use all the shampoo, eat all the ice cream \u2014 they fill up the totes with the empties. Unlike traditional recyclables, the packages don\u2019t need to be washed. At the end of the cycle, a UPS driver picks up the tote. Customers can keep repeating the cycle or opt out and recover their deposit. Even banged up packages earn back the deposit \u2014 customers only lose that money if they fail to make a return.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">When the packages are no longer suitable for use, TerraCycle recycles them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Loop may be convenient for users in some ways, but there are potential drawbacks. Szaky acknowledged that it\u2019s a lot to ask people to use yet another retail website. He hopes that Loop will eventually be integrated into existing online shops, including Amazon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">\u201cWe\u2019re not trying to harm or cannibalize retailers,\u201d Szaky said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to offer a plug-in that could make them better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Already, two large retailers, Carrefour in France and Tesco in the United Kingdom, are Loop partners and more may join the project. Eventually, Loop packages may also be sold on store shelves.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Shoppers who want to be a part of Loop\u2019s soft launch in May have to apply. The first group of users will be selected based on location and overall interest in the platform, according to TerraCycle. The test will allow Loop to iron out any kinks before the program is open to the broader public, Szaky said.<\/p>\n<section class=\"article-content__story-video-xl\" readability=\"26\">\n<div class=\"heading-wrapper\" readability=\"7\">\n<h3>\n<span>Loop\u2019s goal:<\/span><br \/><span>packages that<\/span><br \/><span> last 100 uses<\/span><br \/>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <video class=\"b-lazy\" playsinline webkit-playsinline autoplay muted loop poster=\"media\/conveyor-poster.jpg\"><source src=\"http:\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnn\/interactive\/2019\/01\/business\/loop-reusable-packaging-mission-ahead\/media\/conveyor.mp4\" type=\"video\/mp4\"><\/source><\/video><br \/>\n<\/section>\n<h2 class=\"article-content__subheader\">The engineering challenge<\/h2>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Partner companies have to pay to participate in Loop. Szaky didn\u2019t disclose the buy-in amount, but said it\u2019s in the low six figures. On top of that, many are redesigning their traditional packages \u2014 an expensive endeavor that could cost another seven figures, Szaky said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Szaky said TerraCycle asked the Loop partners to design packages that can survive at least 100 reuses. Rick Zultner, TerraCycle\u2019s director of product and process development, is more measured; he called that figure a \u201cnice goal to meet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">\u201cSome things can definitely meet that,\u201d Zultner said, adding that if the packages are reused at least 10 times, they\u2019re probably still better for the environment than single-use plastics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">TerraCycle needs to conduct its beta test to make sure that hypotheses like these are right. \u201cThere is a fundamental advantage of reuse versus recycle,\u201d Virginie Helias, Procter &#038; Gamble\u2019s chief sustainability officer, said. But \u201cwe need to have certain conditions\u201d to make it work, she added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Carbon emissions from trucking and other factors could outweigh the environmental benefits of Loop if packages are only reused a few times, or if the transportation system is too spread out. Loop has conducted life-cycle analyses to try to estimate the environmental impact in a variety of situations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">To maximize the number of reuses, Loop packages are made out of durable materials like stainless steel, aluminum, glass and engineered plastic, which is stronger than disposable plastic.<\/p>\n<section class=\"cnnix-carousel-wrapper\">\n<h2 class=\"cnnix-carousel-wrapper__subhed\">Single-use vs. Loop\u2019s reusable packages<\/h2>\n<p class=\"cnnix-carousel-wrapper__credit cnnix-carousel-wrapper__credit--lg\">Loop\/CNN<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Loop packages are sleek and innovative. Degree\u2019s refillable deodorant in silver and white looks like something Apple would make. Ingredients and, when relevant, nutritional information for all products appear in an insert inside the Loop tote instead of on the packages.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content__float-img-wrapper\" readability=\"34\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnn\/interactive\/2019\/01\/business\/loop-reusable-packaging-mission-ahead\/media\/loop-Always-products.jpg\" alt=\"In Paris, Loop users can recycle soiled Pampers diapers and Always menstrual pads in this bin. (Procter &#038; Gamble)\" class=\"article-content__float\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__story-img--caption\">In Paris, Loop users can recycle soiled Pampers diapers and Always menstrual pads in this bin. (Procter &#038; Gamble)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">One package \u2014 a bin launched by Procter &#038; Gamble in the Paris test \u2014 is designed to hold soiled Pampers diapers and Always menstrual pads. It has a carbon filter to block odors. The hygiene items, which are traditionally thrown out, are instead recycled, while the bin is sanitized and sent out again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Nestl\u00e9\u2019s new H\u00e4agen-Dazs container, part of the New York launch, is designed to keep ice cream cool in the Loop tote and cooler for 24 to 36 hours.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Kim Peddle-Rguem, president of Nestl\u00e9\u2019s US ice cream division, called the redesign a \u201ctorture test.\u201d It took 15 tries to get the container, a double-walled stainless steel vessel, right. In one prototype, the ice cream wouldn\u2019t harden at a critical stage. Another package was too difficult for customers to open.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">For now, Nestl\u00e9 is making 20,000 containers for the Loop test. Five flavors will be available: Strawberry, vanilla, non-dairy chocolate salted fudge truffle, non-dairy coconut caramel and non-dairy mocha chocolate cookie.<\/p>\n<div class=\"story-image-wrapper\" readability=\"32\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnn\/interactive\/2019\/01\/business\/loop-reusable-packaging-mission-ahead\/media\/ice-cream-flavors.jpg\" alt=\"H\u00e4agen-Dazs Loop containers. (Brinson+Banks for CNN)\" class=\"article-content__story-img--lg\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__story-img--caption\">H\u00e4agen-Dazs Loop containers. (Brinson+Banks for CNN)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Because the test is so small, Nestl\u00e9 isn\u2019t making Loop products in any other facility \u2014 which means it has to truck everything from California to the East Coast. If the project takes off, Nestl\u00e9 will rethink that route to make sure it\u2019s environmentally sound.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">\u201cThis process isn\u2019t yet perfect and we know it will need to continue to be updated and refined,\u201d said Peddle-Rguem. \u201cWe will be analyzing all parts of the process, including shipping and how many times consumers are reusing the container to find those areas for adjustment.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article-content__subheader\">A plastics crisis<\/h2>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Consumer goods companies say their customers are demanding more environmentally-friendly packaging.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">\u201cWe\u2019re seeing that very clearly in our research,\u201d said Procter &#038; Gamble\u2019s Helias, adding that wasteful packaging is \u201cbecoming a deterrent for purchase.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ir.mondelezinternational.com\/news-releases\/news-release-details\/mondelez-international-commits-making-all-packaging-recyclable\" target=\"_blank\">Mondel\u0113z<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nestle.com\/media\/pressreleases\/allpressreleases\/nestle-recyclable-reusable-packaging-by-2025\" target=\"_blank\">\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nestle.com\/media\/pressreleases\/allpressreleases\/nestle-recyclable-reusable-packaging-by-2025\" target=\"_blank\">Nestl\u00e9<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.packaging-gateway.com\/news\/procter-gamble-sustainability\/\" target=\"_blank\">\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.packaging-gateway.com\/news\/procter-gamble-sustainability\/\" target=\"_blank\">Procter &#038; Gamble<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unilever.com\/news\/press-releases\/2017\/Unilever-commits-to-100-percent-recyclable-plastic.html\" target=\"_blank\">Unilever<\/a>\u00a0and others\u00a0are aiming to make all or some of their packaging out of recycled materials by 2025. Szaky doesn\u2019t think they\u2019ll be able to pull it off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">\u201cRecycling is a failing industry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Roughly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscc.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/Research\/October%202017%20Trade%20Bulletin_0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">30% of US recyclables <\/a>are exported overseas. But in 2017, China \u2014 then the world\u2019s largest importer of waste and scrap \u00a0\u2014 stopped accepting unsorted paper and some types of plastic from other countries, throwing the US recycling system into a tailspin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">The Chinese ban left many communities scrambling for a new place to send their recyclable waste.\u00a0Some municipalities halted <a href=\"https:\/\/bangordailynews.com\/2018\/07\/30\/news\/hancock\/soaring-costs-push-maine-town-to-pull-plug-on-recycling-program\/\" target=\"_blank\">curbside pickup for recycling<\/a>, others <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kgw.com\/article\/news\/local\/17-questions-on-marion-countys-strict-new-recycling-rules-answered\/283-526307575\" target=\"_blank\">recycled fewer items<\/a>\u00a0or <a href=\"https:\/\/dailygazette.com\/article\/2018\/07\/09\/recycling-gets-more-expensive-as-market-shifts\" target=\"_blank\">raised prices<\/a>. The operators of some recycling facilities <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/recycling-once-embraced-by-businesses-and-environmentalists-now-under-siege-1526209200\" target=\"_blank\">reportedly<\/a>\u00a0stashed recyclable waste, looking for a new buyer, but ultimately dumped it in landfills.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Unaware consumers may continue as usual, without realizing their recyclables aren\u2019t being recycled at all.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Last year, \u201cwe saw a global shift in how recycling works,\u201d said Keefe Harrison, CEO of The Recycling Partnership, a nonprofit group that uses corporate funding to help develop recycling infrastructure.<\/p>\n<div class=\"pullquote-wrapper\">\n<aside class=\"pullquote pullquote--standard\" readability=\"3\">\n<blockquote readability=\"9\">\n<p class=\"pullquote__quote\">We want to put an end to the current \u2018take-make-dispose\u2019 culture and are committed to taking big steps towards designing our products for re-use.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"pullquote__author\">Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">China\u2019s ban is not the only reason that recycling is struggling. Ironically, an effort to reduce packaging called lightweighting \u2014 making plastic packages, like water bottles, lighter as a way to use less plastic and reduce the amount of fuel needed to move packages by truck \u2014 poses recycling challenges because light packages fly off recycling conveyor belts and get lost.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Plus, low oil prices make it cheaper for companies to just make plastic from scratch, Szaky noted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Overall, about <a href=\"http:\/\/advances.sciencemag.org\/content\/3\/7\/e1700782.full\" target=\"_blank\">91% of all the plastic waste<\/a>\u00a0ever created has never been recycled \u2014 a statistic so \u201cconcerning,\u201d the Royal Statistical Society named it the 2018 international statistic of the year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Recycling is not the best way to cut down on waste. \u201cPreventing in the first place is always better than cleaning up after,\u201d Harrison noted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">If Loop works correctly, it would do just that. The question is: will it work?<\/p>\n<section class=\"cnnix-carousel-wrapper\" readability=\"5\">\n<h2 class=\"cnnix-carousel-wrapper__subhed\">When garbage was glamorous<\/h2>\n<p class=\"cnnix-carousel-wrapper__description\">Single-use packages were touted as convenient and elegant in mainstream media from the 1930s to 1960s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"cnnix-carousel-wrapper__credit\">Sourced from Life Magazine<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<h2 class=\"article-content__subheader\">Can the milk man make a comeback?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">For the largest players, Loop is a relatively small experiment. The partners are among the largest advertisers in the world. If they wanted to, they could throw their full weight behind promoting reusable packaging. But at this point, the companies are moving forward with caution and pointing to Loop as one part of their broader sustainability efforts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">After about 12 weeks, Nestl\u00e9 will have a good idea of how and whether to expand the program. Regardless of what the data shows, the company will service Loop customers for at least a year. Unilever said it will evaluate the project over the course of about 12 months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">\u201cWe want to put an end to the current \u2018take-make-dispose\u2019 culture and are committed to taking big steps towards designing our products for re-use,\u201d Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever, said in a statement. Unilever is testing nine brands in the Loop launch, including Axe, Dove and Degree deodorants, Hellmann\u2019s mayonnaise and Seventh Generation soaps. Like Nestl\u00e9, the company will evaluate the project\u2019s success by tracking the number of repeat customers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">We\u2019re \u201cnot yet worried about the financial side of this,\u201d said David Blanchard, Unilever\u2019s chief research and development officer, noting the company is more interested in evaluating whether Loop triggers a \u201cbehavior change\u201d among some consumers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">It\u2019s easy to see how Loop could fail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">It asks customers to completely rethink how they shop. It asks them to dole out deposit money upfront, something many people can\u2019t afford to do. It assumes that, all things being equal, people prefer their detergent in a spiffy container and their deodorant in a sleek pod. In reality, people may not care. Loop could be a dreamy, idealistic house of cards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">But it also could work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Small dairies throughout the country are already reviving the milk man by offering delivery services. And it\u2019s not just milk. Refillable beer growlers are staging a comeback, with Whole Foods and Kroger offering in-store beer taps. Startups are trying to help people refill reusable soap containers at home, and millions of consumers are already refilling SodaStream bottles in their kitchens, a sign that there\u2019s a market for reusable bottles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">If there\u2019s ever a time that these new models can succeed, it\u2019s now, said Bridget Croke, who leads external affairs for Closed Loop Partners, which invests in recycling technologies and sustainable consumer goods. (Despite the similar name, Closed Loop Partners has no formal relationship with TerraCycle\u2019s Loop project.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">To make Loop work, she added, TerraCycle will \u201cneed the right investments, the right consumer goods partners.\u201d And \u201cthey\u2019re going to really need to understand how to make the consumer experience better than what they have today.\u201d And with so many big companies on board, they have a \u201csolid shot,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"story-image-wrapper\" readability=\"32\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.cnn.com\/cnn\/interactive\/2019\/01\/business\/loop-reusable-packaging-mission-ahead\/media\/loop-reusable-packaging.jpg\" alt=\"Photo Illustration: Getty Images \/ Loop \/ CNN\" class=\"article-content__story-img--lg\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__story-img--caption\">Photo Illustration: Getty Images \/ Loop \/ CNN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">If TerraCycle manages to find a solution to plastics pollution \u2014 to dust off the milk man, spruce him up, give him a website and get people to shop \u2014 things will start to change. \u201cOnce these trends start to shift,\u201d Croke noted, \u201cthen it starts to catch fire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">Szaky hopes that by the 2060s \u2014 a century after plastics came on the food scene \u2014 \u00a0things will have come full circle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-content__copy\">\u201cHopefully 50 years from now,\u201d Szaky said, \u201cwe look at waste as a strange anomaly and we\u2019re happy it\u2019s over.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s the early 1960s. Girls are fainting over the Beatles, Sean Connery is James Bond and a revolutionary trend is sweeping the United States: Plastic. Plastic is about to have its breakthrough moment in the food industry. The plastic milk jug, specifically, is on the brink of taking off: the \u201cmarket potential is huge,\u201d the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":32071,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32070"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32070\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}