Manufacturing Reusable Bottles With Plants | How Ethical Is It Really?

To create the most sustainable reusable bottle yet, we at S’wheat went above and beyond, spending two years intensively researching what renewable materials we could use that would make a durable and practical reusable bottle capable of accommodating cold drinks like water and juice as well as hot drinks. 

We found that bamboo and wheat by-products were the perfect solution for a plethora of reasons:

S’wheat materials

Wheat straw is a by-product of wheat harvested by farmers. Typically, it will be discarded and left to biodegrade or be eaten by livestock such as horses since farmers have no other use for it, and often it will be incinerated, which contributes towards further air pollution. We are providing extra income to farmers by taking waste materials off their hands while also preventing further emissions - and did you know that wheat straw actually absorbs more carbon from the air during photosynthesis than it ever releases? This is just one way we like to minimise and offset our carbon footprint.

Bamboo is renowned for its sturdiness and durability, which is why it is so often used as an alternative to plastic products. However, many of these allegedly sustainable products use chemicals such as BPA or melamine which actually renders the material non-biodegradable and potentially hazardous to your health. At S’wheat, we never use either of these, and on top of this, both bamboo and wheat straw are naturally antibacterial so neither of them warrant the use of artificial pesticides or fertilisers, rarely suffering from infections.

Recycled PP plastic is used to bind our S’wheat materials together, but not to worry! Our bottle is still biodegradable - at an industrial composting facility, your bottle should biodegrade within 12 to 18 months, but even if your bottle is misplaced or otherwise discarded, it shouldn’t hang around for more than two years. However, even with daily use, your bottle can last 5-10 years in the right hands.

✓ Durable: our bottle has a three times higher tensile strength than stainless steel reusable bottles.

✓ Practical: it holds 550ml, features an efficient slide-to-lock mouthpiece, and the strong carabiner clip means you can take it anywhere you go.

✓ Lightweight: despite the durability of the bottle, it weighs just 260 grams - nearly half the weight of a stainless steel bottle.

✓ Insulated: the natural eco thermal wall creates natural insulation that will keep your drinks hot or cold.

✓ Biodegradable: this bottle won’t hang around to terrorise the earth due to its sustainably sourced plant material.

S’wheat plant-based manufacturing

We create our unique plant-based reusable bottles through a patented process, which begins by extracting the starches from the plants, then processing and refining until they are ready to be moulded. Then, we use high-quality laser engraving to print our logo and yours - take a look at our co-branding offerings for more information.

Ok, it’s definitely a bit complicated, but don’t be fooled, S’wheat’s plant-based manufacturing isn’t energy intensive at all. In fact, it takes just 5% of the energy used to produce a stainless steel reusable bottle! Sensing a pattern?

Once your bottle is made to the highest quality, we will send it off to you in 100% recycled packaging - all cardboard, never plastic.

A recap of our eco initiatives:

✓ We use sustainably sourced plant by-products that come from an infinitely renewable source, which are ideal for our bottle’s design and offset emissions naturally.

✓ We needed our bottle to be as eco-friendly as can be, which is why we chose a material that uses just one sixteenth of the energy it takes to produce a steel bottle.

✓ We only use 100% recyclable packaging - never plastic.

✓ We never use BPA or melamine, so our product is naturally biodegradable.

✓ We work with environmental charities to further protect our natural environment.

✓ We plant a trackable native tree that can be monitored online to see the growth, species, and location, so you can see for yourself your environmental impact. 

✓ We plant a minimum of 50 trees with our co-branding orders as well as including an environmental statistics report to help other brands and companies to offset their emissions and demonstrate their impact.

So far, we have managed to grow the S’wheat forest to over 8,000 trees - and counting! Check out our flourishing forest with Ecologi.

Interested in working with us to achieve your sustainable development goals and improve global competitiveness? Why not try getting your company logo branded onto your own S’wheat bottles for the perfect promotional branding, or use our plant-based manufacturing to create your very own products? Read more about our sustainable product manufacturing or enquire at hello@swheatbottle.com. 

Our plant-based manufacturing process:

• We’ll design your product and ensure it’s optimised and ready for wide-scale manufacture, or if you have a design ready, we can jump straight to step two.
• We’ll create a 3D working prototype of your product, ready for you to test.
• When you’re happy with your prototype, we’ll develop the tooling and moulds ready for manufacturing.
• Once your mould is complete, you’re ready for wide-scale production. We’ll produce your unique product and ship it to your desired location.

✓ Hassle-free, simple process to produce your exciting products.

✓ Cost-effective and efficient production

✓ Reduced expenses and waste.

✓ More time to focus on your customers, market and goals.

✓ Competitive edge over traditional materials and brands.

✓ Showcase your eco-credentials.

✓ Produce unique plant-based products that are not available anywhere else.

Our eco co-branding process:

• Choose your bottle from one of our four distinct colours or choose a Pantone colour so we can match to your branding.
• Send us your logo and we will create a mock up image for you.
• We engrave your bottle with high-quality laser engraving or we can offer a colour printed logo.
• We will plant a minimum of 50 trees in your company’s name and remove plastics from the ocean. 

 

S’wheat X Morgan Sindall co-branded reusable bottle in ‘Black’