Going Circular with Loopedin Reusable Food Containers as-a-service
Stephanie Simonnet
Co-Founder and CEO Loopedin
What are Loopedin’s mission and operations?
Loopedin is an ecotechnology packaging provider which enables food & beverage retailers and corporates to switch from single-use plastic containers to fully reusable and food-grade recyclable inventories.
Loopedin offers its retail- and corporate client’s quality sustainable and reusable packaging inventory management, collection, disposal, and recycling services designed with minimal impact on existing business processes.
How does Loopedin drive reusable packaging adoption, considering challenges in the circular model?
Loopedin model and services were designed with the end-in-mind from the start and the first thing we did was to create a private partnership with recycling companies to ensure our solution is circular. We do not depend on the municipality waste stream to close our loop. So I cannot say the slow adoption is due to the challenges linked to being circular but rather the fact that 1. people do not know it exists, 2. They believe it to be more expensive than Single Use. That is not the case with high daily usages.
How does Loopedin’s RFID (radio frequency identification) enable inventory support a seamless and cost-effective transition to the circular economy for clients?
Integrating RFID technology into Loopedin’s inventory and supply-chain management model carries significant advantages for Loopedin’s clients. The technology effectively monitors container inventory items through the various stages of their usage- and life-cycles, as well as enabling bulk processing and scanning at client intake and dishwasher processing points.
Crucially, the technology enables Loopedin to monitor and log the number of uses of each container over its lifetime and collectively over time, in order to validate the positive environmental impact which Loopedin, our clients and their customers are actively contributing to.
The RFID system also monitors for end-of-life notifications from inventory items to ensure that they are collected for recycling to close the loop. The implementation of our solution is cost effective for companies with existing washing facilities and moderate daily usage of take away containers. Anything above 800 single use items used and thrown away daily, our Loopedin model is cheaper than biodegradable / compostable alternatives.
What challenges and opportunities does Loopedin face in promoting reusable packaging adoption in Singapore and the region?
Many countries have implemented laws to force companies to reduce the amount of packaging reaching the consumers like 1. Extended Producer Responsibility (coming in Singapore in 2025). When using Loopedin services, our clients do not need to report their packaging usage numbers nor pay the EPR tax to National Environment Agency. 2. Listed companies have to report their emissions for Scope 1, 2 and 3 to the stock exchanges. Loopedin is categorised under Scope 3, and thanks to our bulk tracking technology, Loopedin clients have live access to all the data they need.
Asian countries all have plans to implement bans, EPR or ESG reporting over the next 5 years. Again, the challenge is awareness that such Loopedin solution exists and the clients taking the time and effort to implement them.
