A British social entrepreneur wanted to sell bottles of water with 100% of the proceeds going to providing clean drinking water in Africa—but then, he realized plastic was not the way to go, and developed an awesome solution to his charity dilemma.
James Longcroft is the mastermind behind Choose Water: it will be sold in a biodegradable single-use water container made out of environmentally-friendly materials that can fully decompose in three weeks.
He vowed that the bottle itself had to be completely biodegradable, sustainable and non-toxic in anyway to both marine and land ecosystems, while at the same time still resemble a bottle, cost the same for the consumer and keep the water inside fresh for months. And, his idea may succeed, with the help of a crowdfunding campaign.
Longcroft and his team are currently raising money on Indiegogo to finance the manufacturing and distribution of the Choose Water bottle. Should their process proceed as planned, they hope to see it on grocery store shelves by the end of the year for about $1.20 per bottle—with all proceeds to charity.
The exterior of the container is made out of recycled paper that is coated with a waterproof liner. Though Longcroft can not immediately disclose the liner’s ingredients until his patents are cleared, he says that they are all affordable and sustainably sourced.
He also adds that the ingredients have even been shown to benefit the planet by “neutralizing soil acidity and providing nutrients to aquatic environments”.
His charity, Water For Africa, is dedicated to creating clean water projects throughout the continent.
