Bower: Incentivising Recycling to Reduce Plastic Pollution

Plastic waste is a colossal global issue. 

It is no secret, and many companies and organisations are working to reduce its impact, but the fact still remains – 4% of all global CO2 emissions come from plastic. And that is before looking at the horrific mountains of non-recyclable waste sitting in the oceans and on land that will outlive us all.

Unfortunately, despite some mitigation, the 4% statistic threatens to triple by 2060 as packaging waste booms. 

The theme of Earth Day 2024 was ‘Planet vs Plastics’, which advocated for a 60% reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040 in recognition that plastics pose a danger to humans and the natural environment, as well as the climate.

In 2023:

• 500 million plastic bags – one million bags per minute – were produced worldwide 
• 100 billion plastic beverage containers were sold in the US – more than 300 bottles per inhabitant
• 95% of all plastics in the US were not recycled at all 
• The fast fashion industry produced over 100 billion garments, approximately 85% of which ended up in landfill or incinerators

Sustainable technology company Bower reports that part of the issue lies in misinformation and that 62% of consumers don't know what can be recycled, while 80% don't know the impact of recycling. The company, with support from Google and recognition from Apple, has launched an app to promote recycling.

Meet Bower

Swedish startup PantaPå was launched to make recycling easy and rewarding. Created in 2015 as an analogue deposit solution for cotton bags, the company – now known as Bower – has developed significantly over the past decade. In 2019, the company’s patent was approved for the digital solution for recycling and in 2021 the Bower that we know today was launched. In 2023, the company was recognised by Apple and gained Google fellowship and has now launched in more than 170 countries.

The Bower app encourages its users to embrace the circular way of life, reduce waste and value materials through rewarding recycling. 

“Our journey began with a simple dream in 2019: a world free from trash. Today, Bower, the world's first sorting and rewarding app, is live globally,” said Suwar Mert, CEO and Co-Founder of Bower.

“Many countries struggle with trash sorting, recycling only one-tenth of waste. Determined to drive change, we expanded from the Nordics to the UK. Then we asked ourselves, 'Why not go global?' Months of dedication, support from Google.org, and countless cups of coffee later, here we are!

“Bower isn’t just an app; it’s a movement. Sort waste, earn rewards and join us in making every small act of recycling a giant leap for the planet.

“We’re thrilled and ready to make a true impact, together. Our journey is fuelled by collective passion, the use of AI technology and a strong belief that every small act of trash sorting is a giant leap for both mankind and the planet.

“We're here to prove that everything has value and nothing should go to waste.”

The company name is inspired by the Satin Bowerbird that collects and sorts waste to impress potential mates. 

The app: Making recycling fun

Bower’s app takes recycling and turns it into a game, with rewards, designed to spark excitement in consumers and encourage brand loyalty to affiliated companies. 

The app has more than 600,000 active recyclers who have sorted more than 100 million packages and uses its embedded carbon impact calculator to report that it has saved seven thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide.

More than 500 brands have already joined Bower, including:

• Listerine 
• Varta
• Nespresso
• Wella
• Danone
• Gillette
• Schwarzkopf

Google-backed sustainability 

Google has supported Bower through its six-month fellowship programme, that has seen Bower receive a €1.75m (US$1.92m) grant and support from a team of Google engineers. The app has been trained using Google DeepMind’s Gemini AI model in tandem with Bower’s data.

“I’m excited to share the global launch of Bower. This innovative Swedish start-up is tackling the global waste crisis head-on with their AI-powered app that helps people recycle correctly,” says Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google.

“Last year, Bower won Google.org's Impact Challenge and received both funding and a Fellowship, which meant a dedicated team of five Googlers working full-time, pro bono, to help them develop a state-of-the-art computer vision model. 

“This model can accurately identify product types and materials, then provides users with local recycling instructions to help anyone recycle correctly, no matter where they are. Congratulations to both the Bower and Google teams for their hard work and dedication to making a real difference in the fight against waste.”

Bower’s principles

Bower’s foundations lie in four key messages – recycling knowledge, ease of information, rewards for recycling and local activity. The company sums it up as:

• “Know More, Waste Less: We're all about getting the word out. Learn about sorting, recycling and the real-deal impact of just tossing things away. Knowledge is power
• Info at Your Fingertips:  Who's got the time to play detective on where to recycle a can? Our app's got you covered—it tells you where to sort your stuff, based on where you're at. Easy, peasy
• Goodies for Good Deeds: Yeah, you read right. We'll toss some goodies your way—cash, coupons or a heartwarming charity donation—every time you sort right. Let's make doing good feel good, shall we?
• Here, There, Everywhere:  We're all about harmonising with the local rhythm and recycling regulations wherever we set foot. Every local effort resonates globally in our quest for a waste-less world. Here's to small local steps that leap across borders, making increased recycling rates less of a dream and more of a reality.

“We need to reach out to all those that aren't already environmentally friendly and don't have that really on top of their priority lists,” says Berfin Mert, Co-founder of Bower.

“And we think we can do this through financial rewards and making the activity of recycling a bit more fun.

“The app makes the recycling experience a lot more enjoyable, with gamified features. We hope it could make trash hunting as exciting as Pokemon Go.

"Join the Bower movement and let’s ensure that every piece of material finds its purpose." 

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