Cove, a California-based material innovation company, launched the ‘first’ biodegradable water bottles in partnership with Erewhon, the Los Angeles premium organic grocer, the company announced on 6 December. 

Cove will announce new retail partners in coming months as it scales up manufacturing at its production facility in Los Angeles.

“Plastic water bottles have become the emblem of our modern pollution crisis,” said Alex Totterman, founder and CEO of Cove. “By bringing a truly biodegradable alternative to plastic to customers and the industry as a whole, we can begin to reduce plastic waste in our communities.”

Cove bottles are plastic-free, biodegradable, renewable, non-toxic and compostable. They are made with a sustainably sourced, naturally occurring biopolymer called PHA, the company claims.

PHA is produced and consumed by microorganisms that occur all over the world, including soil-inhabiting and marine microorganisms. It biodegrades in all natural environments – fresh water, soil and marine environments – and breaks down without producing any toxic waste. It is broadly biodegradable at a rate comparable to cellulose, the building block of plant life and the primary component of paper.

“Plastic pollution is in need of real solutions,” said Jon Shulkin, Partner and Co-President of Valor Equity Partners. “We are extremely grateful to have partnered with Cove and led multiple financing rounds to support the Company’s vision for solving the plastic water bottle problem. We believe Cove has the potential to bring meaningful change to the consumer packaging sector.”

Cove relies on sustainable and ethical practices throughout its production process. In a statement the company said that its supplies are 100% North American, use minimal shipping, and that they refrain from sourcing water from drought-stricken areas and grant employees full respect and generous benefits. 

edited press release