Prescription pill bottles in the US are typically made of polypropylene and recyclable polyethylene plastic. But because of their small size, 90% of them are never recycled.

The problem lies in the metal sorting device used at neighborhood recycling stations. Smaller items the size of pill bottles slip through the holes in the devices; they are rejected then sent to dumps.

This means prescription pill bottles end up sitting in landfills and ocean dumps—taking decades to degrade. Billions of plastic microparticles end up languishing and polluting our planet.

Our brief was to design an alternative to the plastic pill bottle with these objectives:

1. Construct a paper bottle made only with compostable and biodegradable materials

2. Meet all FDA requirements for safety, protection, and durability

3. Provide availability of the bottle design to all pharmacies

4. Set a benchmark on sustainability for pharmaceutical-related packaging

Medicine that's good for a patient's health comes in packaging that's 100% compostable. And that's good for the planet.

Introducing the Prescription Paper Pill Bottle.

• No plastic. No artificial glue and coatings. No toxic dye

• It meets FDA requirements for water, light, and child resistance

• Once emptied, it can be composted to enrich the soil

When patients pick up their prescriptions, pharmacists can provide a sustainable container to hold medications that can be reused. And it won't harm the environment once it's discarded.

Made in partnership with TOM, Tikkun Olam Makers, the global maker group dedicated to creating affordable solutions for neglected problems, the paper pill bottle has an open-sourced design available to any pharmacy. And produced bottles have been distributed to local pharmacies for trial.

Now pharmacies can offer their patients earth-friendly packaging to fill prescriptions. Because the planet's health is our health.

Our strategy for designing sustainable pharmaceutical packaging was based on key insights from conducting research and interviews with sustainability packaging experts:

• Paper Not Plastic: Paper is more easily compostable, biodegradable, and less harmful to the planet than plastic

• Compostable Over Recyclable: Compostable bottles can biodegrade to replenish the soil, while recycling has sorting limitations and can create a larger footprint in transport and processing

• The Greening of Healthcare: The concern for sustainability within healthcare is growing, with 50% of US hospitals looking for earth-friendly solutions in supplies and operations

Our target audience included Pharmacy Managers, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, and Patients. All of whom we targeted with the following design and communications strategy:

• The more we do for the planet, the better we can contribute to our health and the health of the community

The final execution of the Prescription Paper Pill Bottle, the result of 12- months of research, design, development, and durability testing in collaboration with TOM, Tikkun Olam Makers, was launched in September 2020 and was made available to any pharmacy and pharmaceutical company.

Unlike hybrid plastic and paper bottles, this design stripped away any need for plastic polymers, eliminating plastic fittings found in child-resistant tops and replacing harmful glues with eco-friendly beeswax adhesives and coatings.

The base and top of the bottle are made of paper. The intricate design of die-cutting, folding, and scoring has resulted in a secure bottle that is 100% compostable and biodegradable. The open-sourced prototype with recommended materials and instructions was posted online for any pharmacy or anyone to download, manufacture, and distribute.

We've produced bottles for trial in independent pharmacies with a limited budget, hoping that pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens will soon offer them.

The Prescription Paper Pill Bottle has already been a spearhead for increased sustainability within the retail pharmacy and pharmaceutical industries.

By providing this compostable paper option, we have set a benchmark to embrace more sustainable healthcare solutions.

"Keep this up. We are lifting our collective consciousness of earth's resources and environment, one sustainable management solution at a time." -JEWA e-Manage Waste

"Brilliant idea and design."

-Pharmacy Green

The fact is 3-4 billion discarded plastic pill bottles in the US produce 703,125 tons of plastic waste annually that devastate our planet. The adoption of our design can accelerate the reduction of this negative footprint.

Since its launch in the US, we've seen a 24% increase in site visitation and downloads. As the paper bottle distribution expands from independent pharmacies to the larger US pharmacies, we project reducing the billions of plastic pill bottles by 10% over the next three years.