Loop and Carrefour have proven that reuse can succeed at a national scale, with more than 370 products now available in reusable packaging across 345 French supermarkets.
Loop and Carrefour Bring Reuse to Commercial Scale in France
YORK, Ontario, September 29, 2025 – What was once an open question, whether reuse can work at scale across consumer packaged goods, has been answered in France. Loop, the global retail reuse platform developed by TerraCycle, has now reached industrial scale with the leadership of Carrefour, France’s largest grocery chain.
Following an initial e-commerce pilot in 2019, Carrefour became the first retailer worldwide to integrate Loop in-store. Today, the program spans 345 locations nationwide, with more than 370 products available in durable, refillable packaging. Carrefour has also added more than 50 of its own private-label lines, joining global brands and other major French retailers such as Monoprix and Coopérative U in making reuse a mainstream option for shoppers.
French consumers can now pick up everything from wine to shampoo in reusable packaging, pay a deposit, and return containers unwashed to any participating retailer. This interoperable system has created the operational conditions for nationwide deployment and demonstrated that reuse can be both convenient and commercially viable.
“France has shown that reuse can work—not as a concept or a pilot, but at full commercial scale,” said Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO of TerraCycle and Loop. “What made this possible wasn’t consumer demand alone—but the alignment of regulation, funding, and supply chain convenience for all actors. It’s a functioning national system. As other countries face growing pressure to move beyond single-use packaging, the lesson is clear: if the conditions are right, reuse can become a mainstream way of doing business—not a fringe solution.”
Brands and Retailers Drive a National Coalition
Loop’s in-store success has mobilized a wide ecosystem of brands, including Ferrero, Danone, Suntory, Coca-Cola, and McCormick, alongside private-label products from leading French chains. The effort has created the world’s largest reuse coalition, supported by Circul’R and anchored by policy, infrastructure, and strong retailer leadership.
At the World Economic Forum’s 2019 Annual Meeting, the Loop Alliance was convened to accelerate global collaboration on reuse. “Loop’s progress in France shows what’s possible when retailers, brands, policymakers, and solution providers move together,” said Christian Kaufholz, Head of Community Engagement and Impact, Global Plastic Action Partnership, World Economic Forum. “France’s experience offers practical insights for scaling reuse models that are convenient for people and operationally viable for business.”
Carrefour’s leadership was pivotal in proving that reuse can be seamlessly integrated into the supermarket experience. “Thanks to Loop, we’ve proven that it is possible to offer consumers everyday products in reusable packaging—without compromising convenience or the in-store experience,” said Carine Kraus, Executive Director of Engagement and member of Carrefour’s Executive Committee. “This achievement at industrial scale confirms that the right mix of bold regulation, logistical innovation, and collective commitment is the key to transforming our distribution model for the long term.”
The Conditions Behind France’s Success
France’s achievement was shaped by a favorable policy and funding environment. The country’s Anti-Waste Law for a Circular Economy (Loi AGEC) requires retailers to incorporate reusable packaging by 2027, creating compliance targets that drive adoption. Producer responsibility organizations have also allocated fees toward infrastructure, reducing upfront costs for retailers and brands.
The model was designed for simplicity: products are prefilled, ready for use, and can be returned to any participating location. For consumers, reuse is no more complicated than single-use; for businesses, it is supported by regulation, financial incentives, and retailer leadership.
“France has chosen to be a pioneer,” said Véronique Louwagie, Minister Delegate for Trade, Crafts, Small and Medium Enterprises, and the Social and Solidarity Economy of France. “With the AGEC law and the commitment of our businesses and regions, we have built one of the most advanced frameworks for reuse in the world. This isn’t just a national success; it’s a model that inspires, influences, and demonstrates that the transition to a circular economy is possible on a large scale.”
For TerraCycle and Loop, the achievement validates years of pilots in markets such as the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Japan, while establishing France as a global model on how to move from concept to scale.
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Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
