99Bridges
(Photo : 99Bridges)

The world is being overrun with plastic, 380 million tons of plastic are produced each year and 50% of it is for single-use purposes. The problem of plastic waste is fast becoming a public health issue; microparticles are being detected in our daily food intake including drinking water. This is alarming news; the 1950s miracle of plastic has turned into a deleterious problem. The world urgently needs to switch to reusables, like using cloth bags instead of plastic ones, glasses instead of plastic cups and so on. But how can it be done when plastics, especially single-use plastics, are so prevalent in society today? 

Yes, good samaritans can nag the people around them until they break, or society can introduce innovative solutions that give businesses and consumers that extra nudge. In walks 99Bridges with a truly ingenious solution, Mosaic - the Sustainability Operating System. The name might sound unassuming, but the solutions they created will blow your mind. Take a look at the revolutionary role 99Bridges is set to play in the plastic mitigation industry. 99Bridges enables retailers and consumers to remove single-use plastic bags and track their contributions towards saving the environment.

Their goal is to make Mosaic the operating system of choice for all reusables, to be as ubiquitous as Microsoft Windows for PCs. They partnered with ChicoBag in 2021 for a Borrow-a-Bag reusable bag service. Adding to their partnership roster, 99Bridges recently collaborated with GOATOTE to create a reusable bag kiosk system. 

99Bridges and GOATOTE

The 99Bridges and GOATOTE reusable bag kiosk system provides a solution to consumers when New Jersey passed laws banning single-use plastic shopping bags. The thinking behind the project was that it would be difficult for people familiar with single-use shopping bags to make the transition, possibly encouraging store owners to keep them around.

99Bridges and GOATOTE put their heads together to advance the GOATOTE system and bring reuse to scale. Since their partnership began, 99Bridges has extended its Mosaic platform to power the technology for the GOATOTE system. 

How it Works

The Customer Experience

Simply put, a customer walks into a store and rents a bag from the kiosk to transport their items home. When the customer returns to a participating store, they receive a reminder on their smartphone to bring the bag inside. They can reuse the bag for 30 days or return the used bag to the kiosk and take a cleaned one, easy peasy.

The app is a lot of fun to use, too. Consumers earn points for using the Mosaic ECO app and are rewarded with gift cards. They can also see what their contribution is to the plastic mitigation conundrum, as well as the reduction in their personal carbon footprint. This particular app also includes a daily shot at a small prize by spinning the bonus wheel!

The Commercial Experience

Large corporations and, pretty soon, small businesses too will need to report their compliance with laws like single-use bag bans and other ways they contribute to sustainability. The only problem is that it is nearly impossible to track things, like how many customers recycle items while in the store or opt to use cloth bags. 

99Bridges' Sustainable Operating System solves this by enabling businesses to track their reusables. This makes reusables recoverable after they leave the premise and endows the organization with valuable data about how much they contribute to sustainability. The first point ensures that losses on reusables can be accounted for, and second, the data for the amount of displaced single-use plastics and other disposables can be used in environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting.   

Stores and others that opt to use 99Bridges' technology have access to their own designated data reporting and analytics platform. But what about privacy? Does 99Bridges' tracking invade consumer privacy? 99Bridges takes privacy and security very seriously; the company has incorporated enterprise grade security and privacy technology into its software platform so no personally identifiable information is shared with third parties.

What's Next For 99Bridges?

The world of reusables will become the new normal. Companies are actively looking for ways to remove single-use plastics from their businesses. Being able to track the lifecycle of reusables and make the data accessible will enable everyone to be a part of a solution. Mosaic is making it simple and fun to engage the consumers. Doubtful about consumer engagement? Well, recent statistics show that gamification motivates 72% of people to work harder -  additionally, employers using gamification are seven times more profitable. It has been shown to work on students as well. So, if you make it worthwhile and entertaining, it becomes a new trend.

99Bridges plans to expand its commercial partnerships worldwide in the hopes of making sustainability an easy choice for everyone. They look forward to working with a variety of organizations to create original ways to remove single-use plastics from the retail cycle, with a broad spectrum of potential applications including reusable cups, restaurant serving and takeout containers, reusable bags for food and grocery deliveries, and refillable bottles. 

Last Thoughts

Everyone wants to help save the world, but it's hard to change old habits, especially when you are under the grind of daily routines; who has time and energy to save the world? Single-use plastics comprise half of the world's plastic waste. Businesses have the opportunity now to make a significant contribution to the reduction of single-use plastics by teaming up with 99Bridges and creating an ecosystem of solutions that are convenient and engaging for customers. If your business wants to play a role in the sustainability ecosystem and getting single-use plastic out of the oceans and drinking water, contact 99Bridges today!

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