At The Lean Way we take pride in the partners we work with.
We are committed to ensuring that their business practices can align with our ethos around organic and responsible production, ambitious positive impact objectives and innovative product development.
The goal is to drive purchasing power to these positive impact brands, that are paving the way to a more sustainable, caring and intelligent future for us all.
Our customers will always have full transparency of our partnerships.
We sat down with the vibrant team at Ocean Bottle, to delve a bit deeper into their operations and how they bring their bottles to the UK market.
Every bottle purchased funds the collection of 1000 ocean bound plastic bottles!
We wanted to take a closer look at their operations and how they bring their awesome reusable bottles to the UK market.
The company is on a fast upward trajectory and we are passionate in supporting them to succeed even further.
Their commitment to plastic management is something to be admired and their ongoing partnership with The Plastic Bank is continuing to achieve great things.
The partnership has enabled around 2,784,239 KGs of ocean-bound plastic to be collected before it reaches our oceans!
Here are some highlights from our coffee catch up…
1 - So to explain to some of our customers, what is Ocean Bottle and the mission?
Ocean Bottle is a social and environmental impact company, we fund plastic collection through the sale of our reusable bottles and enable individuals to create a global impact.
Every bottle purchased funds the collection of 11.4kg / 25lbs of plastic, equivalent to 1,000 single-use plastic bottles in weight.
2 - Can you share a bit more information on the process involved in the plastic collection?
Through our sites we are putting a value on plastic, paying up to three times the market rate depending on the type of plastic. This is passed onto local collectors, each of which receive at least the UN Living wage.
The ocean bound plastic collected goes back into the circular economy, where it is reused across industry.
Every kg of plastic collected at our sites is recorded and tracked using IBM Blockchain technology. The block chain tracks everything from the date + time of collection, the person who collected the plastic, payment and through to the end use of the plastic. Ensuring complete transparency of funding and the plastic is responsibly used within the circular economy. ♻️
Read IBM's report here.
3 - Where is the plastic being collected from?
The number of locations we collect from is growing, currently we operate in 578 locations across Indonesia, Philippines, Haiti, Brazil and Egypt.
New locations to be announced soon!
We have supported 4,100 collectors to be employed and earn the UN Living Wage!
4 - How much of your bottle is produced with recycled material?
We are proud that 70% of the bottle is made from recycled material!
5 - We understand your bottles are produced in China?
Guangzhou, China yes.
We’re proud to say that our factory is in China. Why?
The reality is that there are very few places around the globe with capability of producing high quality insulated reusable bottles at scale. China is the world’s leading producer of stainless steel, one of Ocean Bottle’s main components.
By producing our bottles in China, we save on CO2 emissions. Like anywhere, quality standards vary from poor to outstanding. That’s why we put in the legwork to short-list three factories, before visiting each to decide on the right partner for us.
To secure better conditions all round, we pay a 46% premium for our product, over the competition. Our chosen partner, Everich Group, goes above and beyond what the next best competitor offers in terms of employee conditions and pay, factory safety, and environmental impact. From robotic production to BSCI and SEDEX certification, they have shown their willingness to differentiate themselves for the good of their workforce and the environment.
6 - Brilliant news that you are part of a national collective and are certified as a B corporation! Could you explain why being B Corporation certificated is important to Ocean Bottle and also their customers?
B Corporation has a very rigorous vetting process, and we are honoured to be named as one of the exclusive members.
Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.
7 - We are interested in the smart chip that is inside every bottle. What would you say the long-term aim of this is?
The aim is to provide an opportunity for every Ocean Bottle user to make more of an impact.
Every Ocean Bottle is fitted with an NFC Chip for use in future. You have to opt in to the service and the chips are not live until activated manually via smartphone (Just tap the bottle to the top of the phone!).
Ocean Bottle is currently building an impact focused loyalty platform, being trialled in London throughout 2021 – more information to come on this soon! We will keep you updated!
Currently the NFC App shows local water refill stations.
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We would like to say a big thank you to the team at Ocean Bottle for their time!