The Sweetest Thing
Fore Angela Michel, it all started with a bold mission to change the status quote. Without any background in manufacturing, marketing or sales, Michel decided to revolutionise the humble water bottle in the best way imaginable.
Enter Worthy drink bottles, the sweetest change makers on the eco-friendly block. After working as a radiographer for over a decade, Michel wanted to take the entrepreneurial plunge. Fed up with fragile glass bottles, chipping paint on stainless steel ones and smelly plastic alternatives, she set out to create the most sustainable, cool-looking and planet-loving bottle imaginable.
“One morning I was up early feeding my one-year-old daughter,” she recalls. I had a picture of a drink bottle in my head and decided to create the most sustainable bottle on the market. I spent many late nights researching the most viable option and through this discovered the benefits of sugarcane as an alternative to plastics. From there, I spent even more hours finding out how to
make this a reality, how the manufacturing process can work and how to do this locally with the lowest environmental impact; it was a steep learning curve and a lesson in resilience
and self-belief.
“I managed to find a local Melbourne manufacturer who believed in what I was doing and supported me in the process. Four years after my first vision, Worthy bottles were launched.
We are pioneering manufacturing with this innovative material and are so proud to be one of the first in the world to do so,” she enthuses.
Indeed, Worthy bottles are made right in the heart of Melbourne from 100 per cent sustainably grown sugarcane. The bottles are always positive because they’re carbon negative. By using the sugarcane stem to create bioplastic resin and utilising sugarcane waste (or begasse) to power the factory, every step of production is sustainably and ethically done. They’re carbon negative and zero waste during manufacturing, making them one of the most ethical and sustainable bottles on the market, adds Michel.
“Sugarcane is nature’s powerhouse. It captures carbon while growing and uses natural resources to grow (the sun and rain) yet it functions just like plastic without the nasties. Its lightweight, durable, dishwasher safe and 100 per cent recyclable in household bins.
“As mentioned before, we use the stem of the sugarcane for the bioplastic resin and the waste (begasse) to power the factory, making our
bottles carbon negative and zero waste at manufacture. Traditional bottles like stainless steel or glass use a lot of resources to manufacture including crude oil, energy and heat and this isn’t good for the environment,” she explains.
“We use natural energy and resources. Our bottles have a full circle lifespan and we have the ability to turn (and broken or unused parts) into new sugarcane products.”
Michel makes sure each Worthy bottle also supports a worthy cause. Over 10 years ago, Michel and her husband embarked on a life-changing journey to India and Nepal for six months. Their encounter with a slum in Mumbai living beside a massive rubbish dump filled with plastic waste left an indelible mark.
Determined to make a difference, they returned to Australia and the moment Worthy was born, Michel knew she would give back to those in need.
“We are a big-hearted brand that spreads the message of worth and we donate 10 per cent of every bottle sale to Vision Rescue, helping women and children living in the slums of Mumbai. We also partner with local NFP RAMS running resilience programs for at risk adolescents in Victoria. “Even though times are tough for so many at the moment, we have still found incredible opportunities during this time.
We are using this time to spread brand awareness and offer support to communities doing it tough. We also partner with Christmas box, offering a box of non-perishable goods at Christmas for those in need. “A big part of our brand is spreading the message of worth. I love speaking and inspiring the next generation to ditch single use plastic bottles and to start a relationship with a reusable one, while sharing our startup journey and the resilience needed for that,” she says. To date Worthy has seen a 180 per cent growth in just two years and the brand is now stocked nationally in over 100 stores. “The thing we hear the most when people first pick up a bottle is how lightweight they are. Our customers love that they are durable, easy to use and clean. They really have the feel-good factor of being so eco-friendly and giving to those in need.
“We are a local family run business and customer service is paramount as well as providing a superior quality product. We offer 12-month warranties on our bottles and lids.”
And her goal? To be a gamechanger in the battle against single-use plastic drink bottles and replace other unnecessary plastic products using this ground-breaking technology. With a staggering one million bottles being purchased globally every minute, Worthy’s here to provide an eco-friendly solution that’s way cooler than your average reusable bottle.
“We are excited for what lies ahead. We have many products that we are bursting to design including a kids range of bottles, lunch boxes as well as picnic wares and reusable coffee cups. We have new bottle colours launching in the coming weeks. We also see great opportunities
to take the brand internationally at the right time.”
Enter Worthy drink bottles, the sweetest change makers on the eco-friendly block. After working as a radiographer for over a decade, Michel wanted to take the entrepreneurial plunge. Fed up with fragile glass bottles, chipping paint on stainless steel ones and smelly plastic alternatives, she set out to create the most sustainable, cool-looking and planet-loving bottle imaginable.
“One morning I was up early feeding my one-year-old daughter,” she recalls. I had a picture of a drink bottle in my head and decided to create the most sustainable bottle on the market. I spent many late nights researching the most viable option and through this discovered the benefits of sugarcane as an alternative to plastics. From there, I spent even more hours finding out how to
make this a reality, how the manufacturing process can work and how to do this locally with the lowest environmental impact; it was a steep learning curve and a lesson in resilience
and self-belief.
“I managed to find a local Melbourne manufacturer who believed in what I was doing and supported me in the process. Four years after my first vision, Worthy bottles were launched.
We are pioneering manufacturing with this innovative material and are so proud to be one of the first in the world to do so,” she enthuses.
Indeed, Worthy bottles are made right in the heart of Melbourne from 100 per cent sustainably grown sugarcane. The bottles are always positive because they’re carbon negative. By using the sugarcane stem to create bioplastic resin and utilising sugarcane waste (or begasse) to power the factory, every step of production is sustainably and ethically done. They’re carbon negative and zero waste during manufacturing, making them one of the most ethical and sustainable bottles on the market, adds Michel.
“Sugarcane is nature’s powerhouse. It captures carbon while growing and uses natural resources to grow (the sun and rain) yet it functions just like plastic without the nasties. Its lightweight, durable, dishwasher safe and 100 per cent recyclable in household bins.
“As mentioned before, we use the stem of the sugarcane for the bioplastic resin and the waste (begasse) to power the factory, making our
bottles carbon negative and zero waste at manufacture. Traditional bottles like stainless steel or glass use a lot of resources to manufacture including crude oil, energy and heat and this isn’t good for the environment,” she explains.
“We use natural energy and resources. Our bottles have a full circle lifespan and we have the ability to turn (and broken or unused parts) into new sugarcane products.”
Michel makes sure each Worthy bottle also supports a worthy cause. Over 10 years ago, Michel and her husband embarked on a life-changing journey to India and Nepal for six months. Their encounter with a slum in Mumbai living beside a massive rubbish dump filled with plastic waste left an indelible mark.
Determined to make a difference, they returned to Australia and the moment Worthy was born, Michel knew she would give back to those in need.
“We are a big-hearted brand that spreads the message of worth and we donate 10 per cent of every bottle sale to Vision Rescue, helping women and children living in the slums of Mumbai. We also partner with local NFP RAMS running resilience programs for at risk adolescents in Victoria. “Even though times are tough for so many at the moment, we have still found incredible opportunities during this time.
We are using this time to spread brand awareness and offer support to communities doing it tough. We also partner with Christmas box, offering a box of non-perishable goods at Christmas for those in need. “A big part of our brand is spreading the message of worth. I love speaking and inspiring the next generation to ditch single use plastic bottles and to start a relationship with a reusable one, while sharing our startup journey and the resilience needed for that,” she says. To date Worthy has seen a 180 per cent growth in just two years and the brand is now stocked nationally in over 100 stores. “The thing we hear the most when people first pick up a bottle is how lightweight they are. Our customers love that they are durable, easy to use and clean. They really have the feel-good factor of being so eco-friendly and giving to those in need.
“We are a local family run business and customer service is paramount as well as providing a superior quality product. We offer 12-month warranties on our bottles and lids.”
And her goal? To be a gamechanger in the battle against single-use plastic drink bottles and replace other unnecessary plastic products using this ground-breaking technology. With a staggering one million bottles being purchased globally every minute, Worthy’s here to provide an eco-friendly solution that’s way cooler than your average reusable bottle.
“We are excited for what lies ahead. We have many products that we are bursting to design including a kids range of bottles, lunch boxes as well as picnic wares and reusable coffee cups. We have new bottle colours launching in the coming weeks. We also see great opportunities
to take the brand internationally at the right time.”