Keep The Change
BACKGROUND
The Beer Store's deposit return program has run for nearly a century and it works: 80% of empties make it back. Reclaiming the remaining 20% involves solving an overlooked problem. For younger Ontarians, the ten cent refund barely registers as money. In a generation where 53% of people use cash only as a last resort, loose change doesn't feel like a reward worth collecting. This leads to bottles pilling up and deposits going unclaimed, leaving millions of recyclable containers to end up in landfills.
IDEA
We redesigned the return. The Beer Store's Keep The Change keychain is an NFC-enabled bottle opener that doubles as a digital deposit wallet. Crack a beer with it. Return your empties with it. Watch your refund accumulate as a real digital balance. No coins. Keep track of a running total that grows every time you do the right thing. Distributed at Beer Store locations across Ontario, the keychain turns opening a bottle into a reminder to close the loop.
Beer Store X Collective Arts
BACKGROUND
We could all use a reminder that empties are worth a dime, and that dimes make dollars when you put enough of them together.
IDEA
We partnered with Collective Arts, the Hamilton brewery that understands how well beer labels tell stories, to spread the message that empties are worth something. Each label printed in the familiar kraft-and-ink of Canadian coin currency, driving home the association that this container is worth something. Return it. Sold through The Beer Store across Ontario, every can in the series doubles as a campaign impression moving from fridge, to party, and recycling bins with one persistent reminder printed right on it.