Eco-friendly hydration moves to the next level

A new reusable drinks bottle is made from biodegradable plant waste

Spotted: Most of us would agree that using a reusable water bottle, instead of buying disposable plastic bottles, makes environmental sense. Now, the reusable water bottle has become even more sustainable with S’Wheat — a reusable bottle made from plant waste.

Founded by two friends, S’Wheat is a crowdfunded project that uses wheat straw — the stalk part of the plant that remains as waste after the edible wheat grains have been harvested. Although some wheat straw is used as a biofuel or animal feed, most of it is burned – a major source of emissions. S’Wheat takes the wheat straw and combines it with bamboo fibre to create a type of bioplastic.

The material is biodegradable and has natural anti-bacterial and anti-odour properties. The bottles have also been engineered with openings at both ends, to make them easy to clean. They come in four subtle pastel hues — blue, pink, green, and beige — and a matte finish. For every bottle sold, the company plants a tree, which buyers can track the growth of, and they donate a percentage of profits to organisations that benefit sea life. 

S’Wheat’s founders describes its mission as disrupting the plastic industry, saying, “At S’Wheat, we think it’s time for a change! Too many companies rely on plastics for packaging. At S’Wheat we want to disrupt the plastic industry and encourage others to do the same. That’s why we don’t use any form of plastics when shipping our S’Wheat bottles.”

Bioplastics have taken off in a big way. By some estimates, the market is expected to be worth €10.8 billion by 2027. Perhaps that’s why we’re seeing so many innovations in the bioplastics space. Some recently covered here have included plastics made from fish waste, ancient kenaf plants and slaughterhouse waste products.

Explore more: Sustainability Innovations | Work & Lifestyle Innovations