ShareWares is a pioneering company in the field of extended producer responsibility, which promotes the concept of shared property and facilitates the reuse and redistribution of products. The Canadian company has built, for the city of Vancouver, a lending platform for reusable cups and takeaway containers. Part of the 2023 Google for Startups Accelerator, ShareWares aims to make its services accessible, inclusive, and rapidly scalable, so that lending becomes the default choice for all packaging.
Thanks to collaborations with cafes, restaurants, festivals, and conference centres, the company guarantees that end-of-life products, especially takeaway containers, are collected and brought back to the WashLab, where they are washed and checked before being repackaged and redistributed.
“To reduce waste and keep products/materials in use as long as possible,” founder Cody Irwin explains, “our reusable cups are made from 100% recycled materials, ethically sourced, and operate in a closed cycle system: once they are deemed unusable, they are pelletised and transformed once again into reusable containers.”
Customers pay a deposit at the point of sale (for example, 1.50 dollars for a cup and lid set) to borrow the takeaway container. Once it has been used, customers can use their phones to scan the QR code on the container to locate the closest return points and start the process, which ends with a refund by bank transfer. Alternatively, collection stations are available on streets throughout the city, or partner stores that promote zero-waste policies can offer a pickup service or customers can return items directly to the ShareWares depot where they receive a cash repayment.
Name:
Sector:
Takeaway containers and packaging
Pros:
End-of-life containers are recycled and transformed into new reusable containers
Features:
Vancouver-based software platform with a deposit and sharing system for reusable cups and containers
Also read: WHAT STARBUCKS HAS LEARNED FROM ITS REUSABLE CUP EXPERIMENTS
Images: ShareWares
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