The Nature Imperative: How the circular economy tackles biodiversity loss
Published September 2021
Algramo, a Santiago-based startup, offers affordable quantities of everyday products without single-use packaging, which have a detrimental effect on biodiversity. Targeting economies where recycling infrastructure is limited and packaging items often end up in the environment, Algramo introduces a reusable packaging system involving smart technology, dispensers, and affordable containers. Algramo’s refill-on-the-go system in Santiago has proven resilient to shocks: sales increased by 356% between April and June 2020 while the city was in full lockdown. After their success in Chile, Algramo is working with Walmart, Unilever, Nestlé’s Purina and other players to expand their services and scale up. At the international level, they already have pilot programs in the US and Indonesia, and are looking to enter new markets, including Mexico and the UK.
Biodiversity benefits
During their one-year pilot in partnership with Unilever, some of Algramo’s customers refilled their detergent bottles 15 times, with each refill eliminating the need for an HDPE bottle and its associated impacts on biodiversity, whilst keeping the original refillable bottle in use and out of the environment.
