Aptar and REBO unveil reusable water bottle with hydration-tracking Bluetooth cap

29 Jun 2021 --- Aptar Food + Beverage is partnering with REBO to offer a reusable water bottle using Bluetooth technology to help people stay hydrated. 

Using a sensor and a laser, the Bluetooth-embedded cap tracks the amount of water the user consumes. “Both systems enable to measure the amount of water you drink by counting the number of times the bottle is opened and closed and the amount of water that remains in the bottle,” a REBO spokesperson tells PackagingInsights.

Compatible with both iOS and Android, a personalized hydration app syncs with the REBO smart cap to track health goals. The bottle lights up and sends consumers reminders to drink enough water.

Meanwhile, the reusable bottle helps reduce single-use plastic bottles, which often end up in the environment. Every time a user refills the REBO bottle, a credit is produced to fund wasted plastic bottle collections. 

“Progressing on the battle against plastic waste in our oceans is in our hands,” says PierAndrea Quarta, REBO’s founder and CEO. “REBO puts technology in your hands to make an immediate impact on the environment while you drink.”

Crucially, a new study found plastic bottles and other take-out F&B packaging dominate global marine litter, followed by items from fishing activities. 

The Bluetooth-embedded cap is rechargeable.Connecting with technology
According to Innova Market Insights, 28 percent of global consumers are most interested in environmental sustainability information when using connective packaging technologies. Brand and storytelling information follows behind with 22 percent.

In 2019, Danone’s Spanish natural mineral water brand Font Vella introduced a similar cap device that tracks water intake and instructs people toward adequate hydration. 

Beer brand Corona launched an augmented reality app to show consumers their annual plastic consumption, as it celebrated achieving a net-zero plastic footprint. 

Other connective technologies, ranging from NFC tags on wine bottles to QR codes on baby formula and digital watermarks on foodservice packaging, are also gaining ground.

Circular economy strides
Aptar is partnering with REBO as part of its corporate goal to help create a more circular economy where plastic can be recycled and reused. The company is also investing in business models that aim to forge new consumer habits, create new ways of handling and protecting products, and help minimize plastic waste.

The bottle lights up and sends consumers reminders to stay hydrated.Aptar plans to increase the amount of recycled materials in its products and improve their recyclability, reusability or composability by 2025, as aligned with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Commitment. 

PackagingInsights recently reported on the US Plastics Pact, a consortium led as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global Plastics Pact Network, as it unveiled an “aggressive national strategy” to ensure all plastic packaging will be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. 

Innova Market Insights pegged “The Reusable Revolution” as its fifth top packaging trend for 2021, spotlighting the increasing scalability of reusable packaging models targeting a zero-waste world.

By Anni Schleicher