If you push down on certain points on the new reusable water bottle called the Origami Bottle, the container collapses, folding up so it can easily fit in your bag or even squeeze inside your pocket. The design makes use of a unique geometrical structure that’s sturdy when unfolded—and holds 25 ounces of water—but quickly transforms when empty, with the aim of helping reusable packaging compete with single-use plastic.

“People change their behavior only when they have a real alternative that is as convenient as their current habits,” says Radina Popova, cofounder of DiFold, the startup behind the bottle. In surveys, consumers told the startup that the amount of space that typical reusable bottles take up in a bag was one of the main reasons that they didn’t like using them.

Made from a food-safe, BPA-free material called Arnitel Eco (which is made in part from plants), the bottle can be used repeatedly for at least five years and can then be recycled in a closed loop.  The startup recognizes that the design alone can’t solve the plastic bottle problem—water fountains and refill stations have to be as ubiquitous as plastic water bottles, and consumers have to know that local tap water is safe to drink. 

Similar foldable containers could also be used in refill systems like Loop, a service that sells everyday products like shampoo in packaging that it later takes back, cleans, and reuses. Right now, sending back packaging generates about half of the service’s emissions. Collapsible packaging would take less space and weigh less when it’s shipped, helping to shrink that footprint. v