Evergreen Labs' social enterprise, Glassia Water, is revolutionizing sustainable water distribution across hospitality and F&B sectors. By implementing circular economy principles, Glassia uses reusable glass bottles and modular refill stations to eliminate single-use plastics. A recent Life Cycle Assessment proves Glassia's environmental superiority over single-use options. Serving clients within a 50-kilometer radius and partnering with local technicians, Glassia ensures operational efficiency and community engagement. This innovative model not only reduces waste and CO2 emissions but also reshapes how businesses approach water consumption, demonstrating that circular design can create environmentally friendly, economically viable, and socially beneficial solutions.
In an era where environmental concerns are at the forefront of global discussions, innovative solutions are crucial. At Evergreen Labs, we've put circular economy principles into practice with our Glassia Water social enterprise. This pioneer in innovative, scalable water refill facilities is designed with circularity in mind from the ground up, demonstrating how circular economy principles can be effectively applied to combat the pressing issue of single-use plastics in the hospitality industry.
At the core of Glassia Water's success is its alignment with the 8 Key Elements of Circular Economy framework developed by Circle Economy. This strategic approach has enabled Glassia to create a sustainable, scalable model that's making a real difference. A recent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study conducted by PXP Sustainability has provided concrete evidence of Glassia's environmental benefits. Let's explore how each element comes into play:
Glassia Water's commitment to sustainability begins with its core product: water in reusable glass bottles. We chose glass as the primary material for bottles due to its durability, reusability, and infinite recyclability. This packaging type directly replaces single-use plastic bottles, having an immediate environmental impact.
Impact Highlight: The LCA study revealed that Glassia's reusable glass bottled water service had the lowest environmental impacts compared to all other single-use packaged water options in five out of six categories analyzed, including climate change, energy resource depletion, and water use.
The use of durable glass bottles is at the heart of Glassia's circular model. These bottles are designed for repeated use, significantly extending the product lifecycle and minimizing waste. Moreover, our refill facilities are constructed using standardized, easily replaceable parts, facilitating easy maintenance and repair.
LCA Insight: The study found that glass bottles should be reused at least four times to have lower impacts than single-use PET bottles across all impact categories. Impressively, Glassia's glass bottles have already achieved an average of 15 reuses per bottle to date, far exceeding this threshold.
While Glassia's primary focus is on reusable bottles, the company is constantly exploring innovative ways to utilize waste streams from production processes, turning potential waste into valuable resources.
Circular Design: Less than 5% of Glassia's bottles become broken or lost and cannot be reused. These are either sent to a landfill or recycled, minimizing waste in the system.
Glassia's success isn't just about its product; it's about creating a sustainable ecosystem. Here's how the company is ensuring long-term impact:
Glassia's refill model is inherently scalable and adaptable. The modular nature of Glassia Water facilities allows us to adapt and upgrade them as technology improves, significantly extending the system's lifespan.
Smart Design: Glassia uses a single-line system instead of a multi-line system to prevent glass bottles from rubbing against each other. This clever design helps the bottles last longer, maximizing reuse potential.
By reimagining water delivery through a circular system of reusable bottles, Glassia isn't just cutting down on plastic waste—it's creating economic benefits for its business partners in the hospitality sector. Our approach demonstrates how circular design principles can be applied not just to products, but to entire service models.
LCA Insight: The study revealed that simply switching from plastic bottles to single-use glass bottles actually has the highest environmental impact of all packaging options. Glassia's reusable model is key to its superior environmental performance.
Glassia leverages technology to optimize operations, track bottle usage, and gain insights for continuous improvement. This data-driven approach ensures that the company can adapt and refine its processes for maximum efficiency and impact.
Ongoing Monitoring: Using an LCA calculator tool developed by PXP, Glassia can monitor its environmental impacts each year and explore potential improvements to further reduce its footprint.
Collaboration is key to Glassia's success. We've partnered with local technicians to ensure our stations can be serviced quickly and efficiently, adding both longevity and community value to our system. By working closely with businesses in the hospitality sector, local partners, and governments, Glassia is building a network of sustainability champions.
Efficient Distribution: Glassia only services clients within a 50-kilometer radius, ensuring our business model remains feasible and has the minimum environmental footprint. This proximity significantly reduces the environmental impact of distribution and collection.
Evergreen Labs and Glassia are committed to continuous learning and knowledge sharing. By staying informed about emerging sustainability challenges and innovations, Glassia remains at the forefront of circular economy solutions.
Scientific Approach: The comprehensive LCA study compared Glassia's service to five different single-use packaged water options in Vietnam, including PET bottles, bioplastic bottles, one-way glass bottles, and aluminum cans, across six environmental impact categories.
As we've implemented circular design principles with Glassia Water, we've learned valuable lessons that can benefit others looking to embrace circularity:
Glassia Water exemplifies the transformative power of circular thinking in action. Through its innovative approach, the company is not only reducing waste and CO2 emissions but also reshaping how businesses and consumers think about water consumption.
Key LCA Findings:
As we look to the future, Glassia Water serves as an inspiring model for how businesses can drive positive change. By embracing circular economy principles and carefully designing its operations, Glassia has demonstrated how circularity can decouple economic growth from environmental degradation.
Circular design is more than just a trend – it's a necessary shift in how we approach product creation and consumption. Whether you're a designer, manufacturer, or consumer, you have a role to play in the circular economy. Let's work together to close the loop and create a more sustainable world.
Ready to be part of the change? Learn more about how Glassia Water is creating a greener future—one refill at a time.
Link to full LCA Glassia Case Study
