Solving the surplus
Evolving efforts are trying to resolve the waste issue around food packaging and make it easier for consumers to make waste-free choices. New contenders are offering waste-free alternatives to everyday products and brand favourites, so consumers don’t have to change their habits.
In September 2019, Swedish food-waste app Karma expanded its partnership with household goods brand Electrolux, piloting the Karma smart refrigerator in Stockholm’s central underground station. Consumers can purchase discounted food on the Karma app and collect their items from the fridge, making it easier to pick up food on the journey home.
The pilot follows the 2018 launch of the smart fridge in Stockholm’s ICA Kvantum Liljeholmen supermarket, where shoppers can purchase surplus food items at a reduced price in store. Charlie Humphries, Karma’s UK marketing manager, tells Wunderman Thompson Intelligence that it’s changing the “small patterns in our behaviour that can make the difference.”
Loop, which launched in the United States in May 2019, allows consumers to purchase everyday grocery, personal care and household products in durable, re fillable packages. Shoppers pay a refundable one-time deposit to join the scheme, and Loop delivers the products to their door in a durable Loop Tote box. As products run out, users put the packages back in the Loop Tote. They then schedule a pickup and the packages go back to Loop to be cleaned and reused. An auto-refill option automatically adds favourite products to the next shopping list.
In Northern Ireland, the new Gander app recently partnered with Henderson Group, the parent company of a number of popular supermarkets, to help minimize waste in food stores. The app notifies local shoppers as soon as a food item’s price is reduced, giving them a heads-up to get to the store. The SpareEat app combats food waste in Israel by connecting users to restaurants, supermarkets and cafés so they can purchase surplus food. Both apps, which were launched in fall 2019, bene t consumer and retailer alike.
Why it’s interesting: By creating apps and platforms which utilize existing food and delivery systems, businesses are helping consumers to easily and conveniently adopt greener practices. Brands have a huge opportunity here to provide innovations, drive consumer momentum and support the move towards sustainable living.
