Melbourne-based company Frank Green Pty Ltd has launched a ‘SmartBottle’ which allows customers to pay for beverages through an embedded microchip in the bottle. It is also marketed as an environmentally friendly alternative to disposables.
Shaped like any average drink bottle, the SmartBottle microchip can be loaded with its owner’s bank details that café owners scan prior to putting any beverage in the bottle.
The SmartBottle can hold cold or hot drinks and is designed to fit easily in handbags, backpack car cup holders or bike bottle holders. It is also marketed as an environmentally-friendly alternative to using disposable takeaway cups.
Frank Green first entered the market with its ‘SmartCup’ designed as an alternative to using takeaway coffee cups. The company says it has an aim of changing the way people think about reusable products and wants to reduce unnecessary waste.
According to the University of Queensland, more than 1 billion coffee cups are produced every year in Australia, generating over 7,000 tonnes of waste.
The SmartBottle can be purchased online now in a variety of colours for AUD$34.95.