Reusable bottle 'counts' its eco impact

999Bottles

Designed to encourage people to switch away from single-use plastic bottles by helping them track and visualize the impact of their choices, the 999Bottles container combines quality materials, sleek design and a tracking mechanism. It will retail for $29.

According to CNBC, Americans buy 51 billion bottles of water a year. Approximately 40 billion of those bottles end up in landfills or as litter. While awareness of the negative impact of plastic bottle consumption increases, convenience and lack of motivation undermines efforts to reduce consumption. Drawing from its understanding of behavioral economics—which shows that people are more likely to adopt a certain behavior if they can see the positive results associated with it—Artefact aims to encourage people to drink from reusable water bottles instead of disposable ones by helping them track and visualize the positive impact those choices can have on the environment.

Timeless design comes with a twist

The stainless steel 24-oz 999Bottles container is designed to fit seamlessly with busy lifestyles. With a clean, urban look, it travels easily to the office or gym. An usual twist is the three numbered dials around the base of the bottle. Every time users refill their bottle, they advance the dial a notch, adding up the number of plastic bottles they saved.

999Bottles dial

An accompanying iPhone app helps consumers visualize what the numbers mean, giving context to conservation efforts through visuals that graphically depict the positive impact and savings. It also lets people compare and share their contribution with friends through social media channels.

The 999Bottles features a rubberized plastic bottom to ensure a steady grip and prevent scratched surfaces and a generous mouth, a must-have feature for any reusable bottle that is supposed to be cleaned frequently. A cap that accommodates a lanyard adds additional convenience and makes 999Bottles easy to grab and carry along.

"While most people understand and agree that disposable bottles are expensive and harmful to the environment, many of us still succumb to their convenience," says Fernd van Engelen, design director at Artefact and the author of the 999Bottles concept. "With 999Bottles, our goal is to close the gap between understanding and actual behavior, and to explore ways in which, through design, we might help people see the impact of their choices and motivate them to change their behavior."

Support through Kickstarter

Artefact is committed to bringing the 999Bottles to market at the accessible price of $29 per unit. The Kickstarter campaign goal of raising $99,999 will support the manufacturing and distribution of 5,000 units, the majority of which will go to campaign donors.

Starting at $1, which gives consumers access to the 999Bottles app, pledge levels and rewards vary to include:

• Personal 999Bottles ($29+)
• Limited-edition 999Bottles ($49+). Featuring a unique engraved image, designed by Artefact, the 999 Limited-Edition 999Bottles are available exclusively to Kickstarter supporters.
• Family Pack ($99+). This set of four 999Bottles will get the whole family counting, teach the kids about being environmentally responsible and pool numbers on the 999bottles app.
• Team Pack ($299+) Get a 999Bottle team together and make a real impact to the world, with a set of 12 bottles and apps to visualize the impact of the team.
• Retail Pack ($999+) The set of 40 999Bottles is suitable for companies that want to encourage a green office, or retailers that want to increase their inventory of 21st Century Design products. 

Since its inception in 2006, Artefact has continuously redefined product design by incorporating principles of behavioral economics, game theory and user experience design to induce meaningful changes in consumer behavior. This philosophy is expressed in what they call 21st Century Design.

"What the 999Bottles concept tries to teach is that every little step you take counts," says Rob Girling, principal and co-founder of Artefact. "This campaign is Artefact's little step to contribute the expertise and vision of our designers to a hot, globally relevant issue such as environmental preservation."

Source: Artefact

.