What it does
The OECD projects plastic waste will triple by 2060. The EU introduced the PPWR with reusable packaging targets for beverages. Heket responds with a scalable, cost-effective reuse system that cuts plastic by 90%, CO2 by 80%, and costs by 15% vs single use.
Your inspiration
I grew up in a family working in the packaging industry, where I witnessed firsthand the waste and inefficiencies of single-use systems. One day, while I was taking a walk along a beach in 2023, I found an old plastic bottle. It was still perfectly intact after decades, and the brand’s logo was clearly visible. That discovery struck me. It revealed the absurdity of using such a durable material for something meant to be discarded after just one use. This contradiction led me to rethink the entire system. I began envisioning a model where plastic packaging is reused and creates value instead of waste.
How it works
The Heket beverage reuse system ensures scalability, sustainability, and economic efficiency. Bottles are standardized in shape and size for automated orientation, traceability, and process compatibility and efficiency. Each bottle includes a PET body with a laser-engraved ID, a tethered cap in HDPE or PP, and a permanent HDPE cover-label covering two-thirds of the surface. The cover shows brand graphics, category colors, and optical codes for automated reading. Consumers return bottles via smart RVMs that recognize user, product, and format. Once collected, bottles are sent to regeneration centers where caps are separated and recycled, and bottles are washed, sanitized with EBM, optically inspected, and relabeled. Regenerated bottles are then palletized by content type and reintegrated into the supply chain. Each bottle can be reused up to 25 times. At end of life or if damaged, components are separated and recycled through a high-quality, traceable process.
Design process
The design process began with the intention of developing an integrated system for reusable beverage packaging, where all components work together to ensure scalability, efficiency, and sustainability. At first, I started by designing the standardized reusable bottle, which had to be suitable for adoption by different brands, capable of offering durability, lightness, and ease of cleaning, and subsequently the various components of the system for collecting, managing and regenerating it. Once the entire system had been designed, I performed multiple digital simulations for cost analysis and life cycle assessment, and I iterated through direct feedback from technical experts and potential users, allowing me to optimize every detail of the project. In 2024, I developed the first physical prototype of the bottle with the cover, and in parallel, a functional prototype of the Reverse Vending Machine, based on a pneumatic transport system that moves bottles without using mechanical components such as belts or motors. Both system’s components underwent several design iterations, with continuous improvements, for example, in terms of bottle's thickness and application of the cover, and modulation of the blow and control logic for the RVM.
How it is different
The Heket reusable beverage packaging system is protected by a granted patent with 20 approved claims, currently being extended across Europe and the United States. I anticipated market needs well in advance, allowing me to fully protect the technical solutions without encountering any opposition. What makes the system unique is the integration of patented elements into a cohesive and scalable system: a standardized reusable bottle with a protective cover and a plastic-free regenerable and customisable label; a smart collection system based on pneumatic transport; a patented cap separation mechanism; and automated, interoperable lines for handling, sorting, washing, palletizing, and digitally tracking each unit. Unlike fragmented or partial solutions, Heket delivers a fully circular, holistic infrastructure designed to operate seamlessly across the entire value chain.
Future plans
Heket Packaging was officially established as a startup in March 2025 and has already initiated partnerships with key research organizations such as Pack4Food and PR3, along with others listed on our website. The next milestones include developing the full-scale system, launching a pilot project in collaboration with leading stakeholders, and formalizing agreements with industrial partners for large-scale implementation. Our ambition is for Heket to set the European benchmark for reusable beverage packaging.
Awards
The technical solution is protected by a patent covering 20 claims. The startup joined the Genoa Entrepreneurship School accelerator in 2023/2024 and won a pitch at Georgetown University. It was selected in Ecoembes’ Circular Radar, and joined alliances like PR3, New Era, CEN, and Upstream.
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