Ocean Bottle sells reusable water bottles that each funds the collection of 1,000 ocean-bound plastic bottles in impoverished coastal communities. As plastic pollution is worst in these places, and recycling infrastructure isn't present, the company offers a solution where plastic collectors can exchange plastic waste for money or credit, verified using blockchain technology. Through its partner, The Plastic Bank, the funds contribute to building much-needed infrastructure and paying the local impoverished coastal communities a fair living wage to collect this plastic.
The bottles have been designed in partnership with K8 Design and have received a bevy of design awards, including the 2020 Green Product and Red Dot Design awards. The bottle comes embedded with an NFC chip, which allows owners to track refills and the amount of plastic they are preventing from entering the ocean. The associated app allows cafes, gyms and restaurants to list as refill stations which increases their visibility and gives them the opportunity to offer discounts to further drive business.
Since launching in January 2019 Ocean Bottle partnered with brands including Pangai, Red Bull, and Universal Music. It has also collected over 9M kilograms of plastic to date and improved livelihoods at the same time. So far, the company has prevented over 1B bottles from reach the ocean and hoppes to bump that number up to 7B by the end of 2025. Its an ambitious goal but one that brings hope and excitement for the future.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
