Partnering with the "From Old to New" project, The Loop Co., a technology startup based in Coimbra, developed the technology behind the application that allows Portuguese people to recycle plastic packaging and exchange it for various prizes.
This app, developed by The Loop Co., works through automatic packaging collection machines, where citizens could already receive a voucher for the total value corresponding to the plastic deposited. Now, they can deposit packaging, such as water bottles, and accumulate points in the app. These points can then be exchanged for various sustainable and refurbished prizes, such as iPhones and Macbooks, electric scooters, drones, baby care items, Netflix or Spotify subscriptions, Ticketline tickets, Glovo codes, and NOS vouchers.
Dynamics
The app can be used in 33 Continente, Pingo Doce, Auchan, Supercor and Intermarché supermarkets. In the Lisbon metropolitan area, where the initiative is available in 10 supermarkets, it will also be possible, in addition to winning prizes, to make donations to Ajuda de Berço and Associação Mais Proximidade Melhor Vida.
João Rodrigues, CTO of The Loop Co., states that “putting technology at the service of good is something we will always be very happy to do. The truth is that the mentality of Portuguese consumers regarding the circularity of packaging needs to change. The rewards offered through these prizes in our application are a way to achieve that goal, before it's too late.”
Consumer Relations Platform
This platform is being implemented in partnership with the Bebidas+Circulares project of the Portuguese Association of Distribution Companies (APED) and the Do Velho se Faz Novo project of the Portuguese Association of Non-Alcoholic Refreshing Beverages (PROBEB). These projects are in an experimental phase, with the aim of making the plastic bottle collection system universal from the second half of the year.
