ZeroTag: The Refill E-Pantry

Packaging makes up 70% of the 400 million tonnes of global marine litter. Brands are major decision-makers in the design of packaging, which they use for communication and differentiation. Meanwhile, sustainable packaging benefits from standardisation. As more people shop online, we need to design packaging for the shelves of people’s homes. Refill is the best way to avoid waste, and for brands, refill is usually a subscription. But subscriptions are a hard sell for new customers, and people don’t want to be locked in. They also cause food waste by encouraging overstocking and taking up precious space at home.

With our smart stickers, households can tag reusable containers, and when they are running low, quickly reorder from one of our partner brands. When the refill arrives, product information can be copy-pasted into the container using the app, so that everyone in the household can see what’s in the e-pantry and know when to use them by. Since the stickers are digitally rewritable and dishwasher-safe, a single container can contain a fresh story with every refill. Last year, we piloted the scan and copy tech with refillable retailers and Sustainability Victoria, and we’ve now designed the system to scale.

Making packaging sustainable is a balancing act. While packaging pollution has negative health effects on humans and the environment, food packaging can mitigate food waste, which accounts for 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions. ZeroTag uniquely eliminates both by turning refill into meaningful communication, while adding economic value to the elimination of waste. Digital ad spend has risen by 35% in the last 3 years, such that a Google Search can cost $5 per click. In addition, artificial intelligence in internet searches can significantly hamper discoverability of brands. ZeroTag helps reduce digital ad spend through the physical movement of goods.

Key Features: - Scan forever packaging of partner brands to add them to your shelf. - Tap the partner product to reveal its Dive Site, a distraction-free hub of its digital story. - You can also scan packaging already in your shelf to go directly to the Dive Site. - Copy-paste the Dive Site of the new refills onto the forever packaging. - A ZeroTag smart tag (available at www.zerotag.au) can also hold a Dive Site. - Alternatively, you can use ZeroTag as a pantry label. Generate an image with AI or take a photo. - Add use by dates to tagged items. Get notifications when the date is near. - Customise the time you’d like to receive notifications. - Refill shelf automatically sorts items by use by date and date tagged. First In, First Out. - Frosted glass door helps with focusing on what items need to be used first. - Long press to clear a ZeroTag, making it ready to be rewritten.