In a world drowning in single-use everything, there’s a German startup that’s saying “Nein, danke!” to throw-away culture. Enter dotch, the company that’s giving glass packaging a new lease on life and making recycling look like yesterday’s news.
Veronika Pfender (also known as Nika), co-founder and co-CEO of dotch, isn’t just talking trash (or rather, the reduction of it). She’s on a mission to turn the packaging world on its head. “We revolutionize packaging products in glass containers,” Nika declares, her eyes gleaming with the fire of a thousand reused bottles. “We do that by offering a full-service reuse system since recycling is not enough.”
Now, before you roll your eyes and mutter, “Here we go, another eco-warrior with a pipe dream,” let’s dive into why dotch isn’t just blowing hot air (by the way, dotch translates into “Do The Change” – they really mean it).
The Glass Half Full (and Half Empty) Dilemma
Imagine you’re drizzling some fancy olive oil over your salad, feeling pretty smug about your eco-conscious choice of glass packaging. But that innocent-looking glass bottle? It’s secretly an environmental menace.
“Packaging of products offered in glass accounts, on average, for half of the CO2 footprint of the product.” Nika explains as she uncovers the industry’s dirty secrets. “Glass packaging is one of the, if not THE most ecologically stupid kind of packaging for one single use.”
Ouch. That’s gotta hurt. But dotch isn’t here to shatter your dreams or bottles. They’re here to give them a new purpose.
From Vicious Circle to Virtuous Loop
While others recycle, dotch is busy rewriting the rulebook on packaging. They’re not just tweaking the system; they’re flipping it completely over. Or as Nika puts it, they’re creating a “supply loop.” It’s like they’ve taken the Circle of Life from The Lion King and applied it to packaging. Hakuna Matata, but make it eco-friendly.
“The packaging finds its way back to the retailer after the product is finished by the consumer,” Nika explains, painting a picture of bottles embarking on heroic journeys back to their origins. “And from there, we take care of the cleaning and bring it back to producers.”
dotch’s mission goes beyond saving the planet. It’s about fundamentally shifting responsibility. Nika puts it plainly: “We don’t believe in the consumer’s responsibility to choose sustainability. First and foremost, it is the producers’ and retailers’ obligation to manage the (natural) resources needed for the products carefully.”
The Numbers Don’t Lie (But They Might Make You Sweat)
Check out these mind-blowing stats.
- Glass production requires melting at about 1,600°C (2,912°F). This energy-intensive process happens every time a new bottle is made, even with recycled glass.
- dotch washes their containers at a mere 85°C (185°F). This massive temperature difference translates to significant energy savings with each reuse.
- Each dotch container can be reused up to 50 times. That means one dotch bottle replaces 50 new glass bottles and their associated high-temperature production.
- This reuse cycle slashes CO2 emissions by up to 70% compared to single-use glass.
- Overall, dotch’s system saves approximately half the CO2 footprint of glass-packaged products.
It Takes a Village (Or at Least a Very Supportive Industry)
dotch isn’t fighting this packaging revolution solo. They’ve assembled an impressive alliance of partners and supporters. As Nika puts it:
“I would go as far as contributing all of the success we have to our choice to work closely and on eye level with our retail partners, customers, other reuse actors, and networks.” From Mehrwegverband Deutschland to Bundesverband Nachhaltige Wirtschaft, dotch collects allies like they’re Pokemon.
And let’s not forget their “pioneering customers,” BIO PLANÈTE and AllerLiebe. With leaders Nika describes as “extremely brave and visionary,” these companies are the cool kids in the eco-friendly cafeteria.
The Road Ahead (Paved with Reusable Intentions)
dotch isn’t sitting pretty on a throne of spotless bottles. They’re rolling up their sleeves and diving into plans bigger than a sea of unwashed jars.
- Conquer the entire organic sector in Germany. Check. (Almost.)
- Develop more bottle sizes. Because size matters, especially in packaging.
- Infiltrate the conventional retail sector like an eco-friendly trojan horse, but with less horse and more glass.
- Go international. Because why stop at Germany when you can save the whole planet?
You Can’t Spell ‘Impact’ Without ‘I’
When asked what the impact community needs to be more successful, Nika doesn’t miss a beat: “It needs a clear vision of how to integrate itself into the ‘normal’ economy – not something morally superior but with clear economic and social advantages.”
In other words, save the world, but make it profitable.
Join the Glass-roots Movement
You don’t have to be a retail giant to make a difference with dotch. Nika has practical ideas that anyone can use to contribute.
“Introduce dotch to decision makers in retail and connect us with (large) producers,” she suggests. You can be a matchmaker, but instead of setting up dates, you’re setting up sustainable business partnerships. Romantic, isn’t it?
And if you’re feeling really ambitious (or have a few million euros burning a hole in your pocket), dotch is gearing up for their next financing round. It’s like Shark Tank, but with more purpose and less Mark Cuban.
At GICA, we’re all about supporting these glass-half-full revolutionaries. Want to get in on the action? Bottle your way over to gica.community and join our network of change-makers.
Remember: By supporting companies like dotch, you’re helping shrink the size of landfills. It’s a small action that makes a big difference for the planet. After all, we’d all prefer a cleaner earth instead of another heartbreaking image of a turtle choking on plastic. Are you also curious about the fight against ocean pollution? Check out what Ocean. Now! is doing about it here.
We can all help shape a sustainable future, one reusable package at a time.
Veronika Pfender on LinkedIn? Here!
