In the United Kingdom, millennial inventor and chemistry graduate has founded a not-for-profit company to produce biodegradable water bottles. James Longcraft aims to use the bottles to deliver water to remote communities in Africa.
His Edinburgh-based company, Choose Water, uses plant-based materials in a process developed in Longcraft’s kitchen. At the insistence of his fiancee, the company has since moved prototype-development efforts to a facility in Fife. The company has launched a crowd-funding campaign to buy molds and machinery.
“The liner is the key,” Longcraft tells The Scotsman. “The outside is made from recycled paper, but the inside had to be waterproof, provide strength so the bottle would retain its structure, and keep the water fresh – just like plastic. We’ve managed to do all that, which is pretty exciting.”