Lu for Luxembourg. Loop for local circuit. Luloop is a young Luxembourgish company full of energy that has brought the concept of reusable cups to cafés, restaurants and private firms. A very nice example of local action to act concretely on environmental issues, because every gesture counts. And, little scoop, this cup is the beginning of much bigger actions!
We met Cheryl Ury, one of the founders of Luloop, at Intense Coffee. This café in Limpertsberg is a Luloop user, like Glow, Florence, and other places in the rest of the country that are joining the list of happy Luloop’s users day after day.
But how exactly does Luloop work?
At first: reusable cups
It all started just one year ago. When Cheryl and her partner Kevin realised the need to act locally to change the way people think about waste management, especially disposable utensils. These young entrepreneurs have traveled for many years throughout Europe, and have lived in Berlin. It is through this experience abroad that they noticed that every gesture counts. Being users of reusable cups and bowls themselves, which is common practice in Germany, they thought about how to implement this concept in Luxembourg.
Luloop was born.
The cups are made in Germany and are 100% made of recyclable and non-polluting polypropylene (PP). One Luloop cup replaces 1000 disposable cups. A great super power!
For retailers, the use is simple: they choose a subscription and receive luloop cups that will be returned by customers for one euro. Customers can choose a luloop cup for their coffee to go, 1 euro is added to the price, euro that they get back at their next visit if they bring back the luloop cup. A little bonus: the cup can be returned to any Luloop partner!
Today, around fifteen cafés, bakeries, but also canteens (in particular the CHEM canteen, managed by Alliance Saveurs & Santé and the Bamhauscafé of the Animal Park of Esch-sur Alzette which no longer uses disposable cups) participate in this great adventure.
Because every little gesture counts, the young entrepreneurs did not want to stop there: they therefore imagined another system, called “Inloop”, to allow a company to create a real closed circuit. Here, there is no deposit, but companies can buy the cups and/or bowls offered by Luloop, which can be personalised with the company’s logo. The goal? Creating a system of reutilisation, making employees responsible and allowing to reduce internally the consumption of waste.
To be responsible all the way, Cheryl and Kevin also offer edible spoons. It’s very simple: a cookie spoon to stir and eat afterwards.
To follow: many other solutions!
It is also possible for companies to buy Luloop lunchboxes, in three formats: the duo plate, the 500 ml or the 1250 ml bowl. In order to reach as many companies as possible, the young entrepreneurs are also working on other box formats to add to the Luloop deposit system: such as reusable pizza boxes, also made of PP, or a reusable burger box.
Nothing seems to be able to stop their boiling minds, and that’s an understatement, because in the next few months Cheryl and Kevin hope to launch Luloop… digitally!
Each cup will no longer be returnable, it will be “free” for a 2 weeks use, beyond that you will have to pay a small fee. “The main aim of Luloop is to have cups that circulate and that do not remain stored in people’s homes for several weeks at the risk of creating stock problems and thus using resources for nothing! So we hope that this system will help regulate the circulation of containers and make users more responsible!” explains Cheryl.
The founder makes no secret of the fact that this desire to digitalise Luloop is aimed at achieving more ambitious goals. “Eventually, we hope to enter the fast food industry by offering Luloop packagings. With a deposit system, it would be unmanageable for a family to “invest” perhaps 50 euros! Digitalisation will make Luloop accessible to everyone, which is our primary goal,” says the co-founder.
Without revealing everything, the Luloop adventure does not intend to stop there: the two partners are currently developing an innovative solution for the collection of used containers, “but for that we need to work with the public authorities so that Luxembourg becomes a true example of circularity! Together, we can achieve this.”
If you are an investor, and this beautiful project speaks to you, do not hesitate to contact them!
A company to follow very closely, for our future.
More information: www.luloop.lu
Pictures: Luloop
