73 Tom Szaky – Loop – the convenience of prefill

Catherine Weetman talks to Tom Szaky, founder of TerraCycle and Loop. Tom tells us how the Loop reusable packaging platform is bringing the convenience of prefill to high streets everywhere. TerraCycle and Loop are tackling the root causes of waste, including single use and disposable items.

We hear why they chose prefill, and why reuse needs to ‘feel disposable’. Tom explains how they are helping big brands and retailers to make the business case, feel confident about moving forward, and scale up from pilots to in-store roll-outs.

We hear why both profit and purpose are essential, and Tom describes the progressive steps in TerraCycle’s evolution. The next step, with Loop, is how to tackle one of the root causes of waste – single use and disposable items.

TerraCycle and Loop have evolved by being clear – forensically clear – on the most convenient solution for the customer, AND for the brands and the retailers. That convenience has to match or improve on the convenience of the current, disposable system. As Tom said, ‘reuse needs to feel disposable’, and for the last few decades, disposability has won out over frugality and greener options that need more effort.

Prefill was chosen, rather than refill, because it provided the widest breadth of opportunity, and because prefill systems have been around, successfully, for centuries. TerraCycle looked at those systems, and worked out how to evolve them for a retail supply chain.

The TerraCycle team thinks carefully about how to scale up, what brands and retailers need to see before they can build the confidence to move forward, and create the business case for investment.