Innovation

Paper Water Bottle is on a mission to help save the planet: their innovative product is aimed at tackling the plastic problem. The product uses a specially blended combination of bamboo and sugarcane, creating a pulp exoskeleton that provides its rigid outer shell. Currently, this casing is used in tandem with their proprietary blend of plastic to provide consumers with guilt-free disposability. This means, unlike most sustainable products, there is no recycling involved. Being landfill biodegradable, it has been created specifically for landfills.

The plastic problem is real, and Paper Water Bottle is on a mission to solve it. As of today, over 80 billion plastic bottles are created every year. 80 percent of those eventually end up in a landfill. Not to mention, plastic takes approximately 800 years to break down, meaning unless incinerated, all the plastic ever created is still on the planet. Paper Water Bottle’s products that are currently in production take less than 10 years to biodegrade in a landfill. On top of this exponential improvement, the bottle has been designed to help produce clean energy for the landfills.

Their impact is defined by their commitment to innovation. Having found the company in 2009, they are still working to improve their award winning product. Since inception, they have been awarded many number of patents and currently have more pending and in the process of submission. The product is already 98% biodegradable, but the goal is to reach 100% and completely eliminate plastic. The scope of their impact extends far beyond plastic bottle alternatives, it extends to all liquids, consumer packaged goods, food and industrial packaging, and more.

Inspiration

The inspiration for the Paper Water Bottle isn’t anything bizarre or monumental. Co-Founder Jim Warner was taking a stroll in Manhattan, New York when his son asked him “what do you do for work?” He noticed a water bottle on the floor and being an industrial engineer, he said “I design stuff like that”. The kid responded with “you make trash?” After hearing that, he decided to stop designing “trash” and create something sustainable and eco-friendly. With his co-founder Dan Doster, the Paper Water Bottle was created. The perspective of his kid helped sparked a desire to change the world and help save the planet.

Overall impact

Paper Water Bottle’s goal is to maximize compostability with sustainable solutions. With this in mind, the company created new water bottle technology that is redefining liquid packaging through the innovative use of natural materials and barriers. The bottle itself is composed of renewable and biodegradable materials that can convert to biogas for clean energy.

So, why is this so amazing? It’s important to note why plastic water bottles are damaging our planet. The truth is only 20% of the plastic used on Earth is actually recycled. The question now is: Where is the rest going? Regardless of where the plastic ends up, it takes 800 years for that plastic to biodegrade. This is an issue, as plastic water bottles date back to the 1970s and have since become a large contributor to the damage and pollution forced onto our oceans and planet. Paper Water Bottle found a solution to that issue and has since impacted the biodegradable scene as its bottle only takes 10 years to biodegrade. Upon hearing this, the value of the Paper Water Bottle increases tremendously as the company addresses the issue in the most sustainable way possible by making a product that is 98% biodegradable, leaving significantly less plastic trace on our planet.

The overall impact of the Paper Water Bottle can be seen in present time as, little by little, more people are taking initiative to buy sustainable products. This is only the beginning as the company aspires to inspire many more sustainable practices for future generations. People of all generations, backgrounds, and locations globally recognize the value of the Paper Water Bottle and help make a difference with the purchase of this product.

Business benefit

The business benefit that the Paper Water Bottle has is that it sells itself on one simple fact: “sustainability”. The company does no marketing, but is constantly fielding inquiries for sales and partnerships. Sales will continue to grow as the company gains more exposure with new innovations and sustainable efforts.

The unique selling point of the Paper Water Bottle is the fact that it is so environmentally friendly. Its simplistic design offers brand-able and customizable possibilities for its consumers, giving them an opportunity to brand their company while practicing sustainable efforts.

Furthermore, the fact that companies like this are taking initiatives to build an environmentally friendly future, puts pressure on other similar companies in the industry to do the same. Therefore, the overall business benefit is larger than just one company but rather the whole industry, as it inspires healthy competition amongst each other.

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Social and environmental benefit

This company benefits our environment through connection with multiple U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. The first one is goal number 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production. Their design inherently contributes to sustainable consumption patterns. It is becoming increasingly important in our society for companies to create some sort of impact. This is being led by people who want to live more sustainably. One of the most entry level approaches to a more sustainable life is the removal or a reduction in plastic use. Not only does the existence of this product help consumers reach this goal, it also forces companies to start contributing. They are also committed to contributing to increasing the sustainability of their production. They are very close to eliminating plastic entirely and constantly working to use less barrier material with more sustainable content.

Secondly, they are contributing to goal number 7: Affordable and Clean Energy. The product itself is made up of renewable and biodegradable materials that can convert to biogas for clean energy. Moisture and naturally occurring microorganisms exist in landfills. The pulp exoskeleton retains and attracts moisture to help hold these microbes in place. These microorganisms, upon consuming the material, excrete enzymes that weaken and depolymerize the plastic, creating inert humus (dirt) and bio gasses like methane. Many municipalities collect bio-gases from their landfills and use it to generate electricity.

Interview

Dan Doster, Co-Founder, President, Board-Member