Compostable bottle scoops innovation award
A new compostable bottle that completely breaks down in the natural environment has picked up an international plastic-free innovation design award.
The Cove water bottle secured first place in the first Plastic-Free Category at the Dieline Awards for sustainable packaging.
The Cove bottle is made entirely of biodegradable, renewable materials, such as PHA and paper. While Cove is a bottled water company, the container itself could prove to be a viable solution for the beverage category on the whole.
Made from 100% renewable materials, the bottle will break down into carbon dioxide, water, and organic waste. Many alternatives use materials that can only degrade in industrial composting facilities, but the use of PHA in the Cove bottle ensures full degradation will happen in compost or landfill. The belief is that it will even break down in the ocean, although there is no internationally recognised certification process for this as yet.
Sian Sutherland, A Plastic Planet co-founder, said: “We were blown away by the sheer volume of inspirational entries we received. Every winner symbolises a radical yet realistic way for us to change whole categories.
“Cove was a worthy winner from a strong field of international plastic-free solutions set to change our world for the better. Every year, we pump out enough PET bottles to stretch halfway to the sun. Most of them are never recycled. Imagine if we could eradicate such a volume of indestructible plastic from entering our environment.
“Bad design has got us into this plastic mess. Only good design will get us out of it. Packaging and product designers worldwide need to rise up to a new challenge. How inspiring would it be for all of us to no longer create packaging that is future branded pollution? Permanent, durable, beautiful products packaged with sustainable materials abundant in nature will be our future. For the sake of our children, we need to work faster to get there.”
Andrew Gibbs, Dieline founder, said: “We were delighted to add a landmark Plastic-Free Category to this year’s Dieline Awards. Plastic-free packaging solutions that capture the imagination of consumers across the world will become iconic in the decade ahead.”
