After conducting initial DRS trials within controlled environments, such as office spaces at KBC Bank's headquarters in Belgium, Unbox has expanded its testing initiatives to include semi-open and fully open market settings. In recent weeks, the Unbox DRS system was put to the test at one of Belgium's largest amusement parks. Additionally, Unbox is gearing up for further assessments to ensure the inclusivity of its DRS solutions, ensuring that all citizens, including those less digitally connected, can actively participate in the circular economy. The Unbox DRS system has become a game-changer for businesses and governments aiming to make a lasting impact on the environment and the bottom line. In a world where environmental responsibility and financial efficiency increasingly intersect, Unbox its Urban Mining platform introduces a transformative solution that empowers companies to lead the charge towards a greener and more sustainable future. Businesses have the opportunity to unlock a host of benefits and insights while contributing to a global shift in sustainable practices. Unbox's DRS solution stands as a powerful tool within Unbox’s Urban Mining toolbox, it aligns the actions of consumers and producers to recognize the untapped potential in product packaging that is typically discarded. By incorporating packaging costs into a product's price, consumers can be rewarded for the value - physical, marketing, and analytical - they return to the producers and brands. Unbox's DRS also acts as a system where this value sharing process becomes viable for the producers without alienating customers through increased prices.
Read more: Transforming Waste Management: The Unbox DRS Initiative in Belgium Unbox's DRS solution allows consumers to scan eligible packaging items and earn Ucoins as a reward for positive behavior. Ucoins serve as a proxy currency for the ‘packaging economy 4.0’. Future iterations will allow users to ‘pay their deposit forward’: instead of recuperating the value of the deposit themselves, they can give the deposit to a charity of their choice making it easy to send aid to those in need, including but not limited to the financing of foodbanks. The system also allows any third party (governments, brands, individuals...) to chip in Ucoins as part of the behaviour they want to nudge. In this latest test, visitors at the amusement park embraced the opportunity to contribute towards sustainable packaging management and reclaim their deposit return as a reward. Thousands of visitors downloaded the MyUnbox app, with users reporting in the post test market research that it was a "very smooth" and "very intuitive” experience with “no effort at all ”.
Deposit Return Schemes are poised to become an essential tool for governments worldwide as they combat urban pollution and steer towards a circular economy. Citizens and brands are eager to participate in these initiatives, provided that they do not disrupt their daily routines significantly, this has been the historical challenge in both digital and static use cases. The versatility and user-friendliness of our Unbox Digital Deposit Return System make it an ideal choice for companies across diverse sectors. From retail giants to food and beverage establishments, from manufacturers to logistics companies, any business that deals with consumer packaging can reap the rewards of this technology.
Key innovations that allowed Unbox to succeed where previous digital deposits failed:
Barrier to entry: Users generally only think as far as their next reward, and as each deposit a manufacturer can afford to give is not significant on its own the onboarding process must be extremely short. With Unbox’s automated identity solution, users onboard in seconds with no need for emails, passwords, etc.
Data value: Increased value of data collection increases the viable deposit to be returned to users for their actions.
Privacy: The application protects user privacy using cryptographically secure self-sovereign identity management, while blockchain technology ensures traceability of funds.
Unbox's Digital Deposit Return Scheme is just one piece of our Urban Mining initiative aimed at revolutionizing the concept of value and its distribution in material management. The initiative incentivizes behavioural change in waste and material management by providing a fintech mechanism to reward stakeholders based on their actions. Through Deposit Return Schemes, Extended Producer Responsibility Systems, and addressing litter with Unbox Litter, Unbox aims to sensibilise and educate the public about the consequences of the "throw- away culture" prevalent in society. Join us in this transformative journey as we continue to make strides towards a cleaner, more sustainable world and reach out to Unbox today.