Single-use plastic bottles have become the bane of the planet and are the biggest polluter of our oceans.
16 million plastic bottles end up in landfills every day in the UK alone, and over 150 plastic bottles litter each mile of UK beaches.
Global numbers are, of course, more terrifying—annually, 13 million tonnes of plastic is dumped in the ocean, causing havoc on the eco-system and destroying marine life.
In a move to change this, the market has become flooded with reusable bottles and coffee cups mostly made from glass or steel. Nevertheless, these products do not support a circular economy and have their downsides and limitations.
Many steel bottles are difficult to clean—leading to unpleasant smells that affect the taste of coffee, water and other beverages—and glass containers are easily broken.
An enviro-conscious couple from Edinburgh, Amee Ritchie and Jake Elliott-Hook, have set out to change this by creating S’wheat— a start-up making the world’s first-ever reusable plant-based bottle.
“Like many people we were tired of using bottles that just weren’t practical. Plastic bottles have been shown to leach chemicals into our water, we found steel bottles to leave a metallic taste and horrible odour and glass bottles are just impractical for on the go. That’s why we created S’wheat, the world’s first reusable water bottle made from plant-based material!” says co-founder Amee Ritchie.
Made entirely from wheat straw, the S’wheat bottle fully biodegrades within two years of being placed in the ground—around 998 years shorter than the average plastic water bottle.
The bottles are naturally anti-bacterial and anti-odour due to the plant-based materials used, which ensures the longevity of the product.
S’wheat bottles have also been carefully engineered to enable access at both ends of the bottle, allowing for easy cleaning, and it’s dishwasher safe.
The duo recently launched a Crowdfunder campaign aiming to raise £10,000 to fund their very first production run, so that they can launch in October.
“S’wheat is as an opportunity to help the world by reducing large amounts of plastics from ending up in our oceans. For every one S’wheat bottle you buy, you save 1,460 plastic bottles from ending up in landfill!” says co-founder Jake Elliott-Hook.
Check out the Global Shakers list of Innovators Finding Alternatives to Plastic.