Giant Food Pilots Circular Packaging

Ahold Delhaize regional grocery chain Giant Food has debuted a partnership with TerraCycle’s Loop at stores in the greater Washington, D.C., area.

At 10 participating Giant Food supermarkets, shoppers can purchase a selection of products in reusable packaging through Loop’s circular platform.

More than 20 products — including from Kraft Heinz, Nature's Path and Stubb's — are available in reusable containers rather than single-use packaging. The assortment of products will be merchandised via branded displays at participating Giant stores, according to a news release.

When finished with a product, shoppers return the empty packaging to a Loop Return Point at any of the participating stores. The containers are then sent to Loop to be sanitized, returned to the CPG suppliers to be refilled, and returned to the store for future purchase. Shoppers are charged a small packaging deposit at checkout, and a full refund is given once the container is returned.

Giant Food plans to expand the Loop partnership to include more items and more stores in the near future.

"Loop's goal has always been to make reusable packaging as convenient for consumers as disposable packaging," said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle and Loop, in the release. "With Giant as the newest retailer bringing Loop to consumers, we are giving them what they've been asking for since Loop was introduced in 2019 — the ability to forgo single-use packaging and purchase the products they use every day in durable, reusable containers."

Loop consults with Ecolab Inc., a global entity for cleaning and hygiene solutions, to maintain advanced sanitization standards for reusable containers and to identify proper equipment and design on-site cleaning procedures.

Earlier this year, Kroger expanded on a pilot program with Loop and launched an assortment of products in reusable packaging at select U.S. stores. The debut marks an important expansion in the grocery retailer's larger sustainability efforts and Loop's first in-store launch. The partners debuted an in-store pilot at 25 Kroger-owned Fred Meyer stores in Portland, Oregon, offering a variety of products to customers in reusable packaging, including products from leading national brands and Kroger’s Simple Truth private label.