Flowing is a Bottle-Sharing service that allows tourists to replace single-use plastic water bottles with reusable and returnable bottles with the aim of reducing plastic waste and promoting responsible travel behavior. The system provides all possible facilities for the tourist to get a reusable bottle and know where to refill it at any time through obtaining the bottle at the hotel reception and the mobile application to locate the nearest points of refill. After the trip, tourists can return the bottle to the hotel. This initiative not only encourages the reuse of bottles, but also materializes accessibility through collaboration between local agents in the tourism sector.
THE PROBLEM
Currently, tourism is a rapidly growing activity that, although it brings economic growth in cities like Barcelona, its overcrowding has caused negative impacts on a social and environmental level. Considering the problems generated by unbridled and poorly controlled tourism in the city, this project seeks to explore how we can establish a balanced relationship between the city visited, the tourist and the environment and how systemic and transition design can shape the conventional mass tourism towards more sustainable tourism.
After a deep bibliographic investigation and interviews with tourists and local agents in the tourism sector, the following conclusions had been concluded:
• In the European Union there is a consumption of up to 46 billion single-use bottles.
• The generation of single-use plastic waste has a direct relationship with tourism.
• Plastic waste produced in the Mediterranean increases up to 30% in the summer months, in correlation with the seasonality of tourism.
• Single-use plastic products most at risk of being thrown away incorrectly are water bottles and food containers.
• The generation of single-use plastic waste has a direct relationship with tourism.
• Plastic waste produced in the Mediterranean increases up to 30% in the summer months, in correlation with the seasonality of tourism.
• Single-use plastic products most at risk of being thrown away incorrectly are water bottles and food containers.
Considering tourists' carefree behaviour, focus on comfort, limited familiarity with the visited city, different levels of environmental awareness, little encouragement from host communities for sustainable practices, and the necessity for hydration, tourists generate significant avoidable plastic waste. Despite growing awareness of the harmful effects of plastic bottles, many tourists persist in using them due to convenience or unawareness of local water quality.
THE SOLUTION: FLOWING
A Bottle-Sharing service for hotel guests that allows tourists to replace single-use plastic water bottles with reusable and returnable bottles to reduce plastic waste, enhance sustainability awareness, and promote responsible travel behavior. It provides facilities so that tourists can obtain a reusable bottle and know where they can refill them at any time in an easy way. Upon their arrival in the destination city, tourists are welcome to acquire the reusable bottle conveniently at their hotel’s reception. Throughout their sojourn, this bottle becomes their steadfast companion, ensuring hydration while embracing sustainable practices. Thanks to the mobile app, tourists can easily locate the nearest refill points, such as fountains, bars, and so on. After finishing their trip, tourists can return the bottle to the hotel to start over the loop.
This initiative not only promotes bottle reuse to reduce tourism waste and fosters sustainable habits among tourists, but also enhances collaboration among local tourism stakeholders —both private and public, like hotels, restaurants, bars, government, and so on —, fostering social cohesion around sustainability and accessibility. Finally, this initiative contributes to the transition towards responsible and sustainable tourism by exploring new models and paradigms for the tourism industry.
So that tourists can easily refill their bottles and, therefore, reuse them, a mobile application is proposed that will allow them to search on the map for the nearest fountains. In addition, a network of local agents is necessary to provide different types of fountains or points to refill the bottles: from public agents such as the government for urban fountains, to private agents with sustainable values that will supply water to tourists, such as restaurants, bars, the hotels themselves, among others. Collaboration among these agents is crucial for the system's successful operation. By jointly implementing and promoting this system, collaboration is fostered, and social cohesion around sustainability and environmental protection is strengthened.
The bottle's design is intended for tourists, highlighting its compact size, ergonomic attributes, and versatility for comfortable transportation. With its dimensions and rectangular shape, it easily fits into different types of pockets and the built-in handle allows for various carrying methods. Made of stainless steel to assure resistance and durability.
THE IMPACT
The initiative offers notable environmental advantages by reducing plastic waste, conserving natural resources, safeguarding marine ecosystems, reducing the carbon footprint, fostering environmental consciousness, and propelling the transition towards responsible tourism. On the social front, it promotes community collaboration and the cultivation of sustainable habits in tourists while raising awareness globally, reaching societies with varying levels of sustainability engagement compared to the EU. These combined efforts aim to drive positive change in both environmental conservation and responsible travel behavior, making a substantial impact on the tourism industry.
As has been seen, Flowing is a project that aims to reduce the negative impact generated by tourism. Taking into account the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda, the project is framed in the following objectives:
Finally, the Flowing project proposes an innovative and sustainable approach to address the environmental and social challenges associated with mass tourism. Through its ecological perspective and the creation of a systematized network that involves local agents, Flowing seeks to mitigate the negative impacts of the tourism industry. This initiative not only focuses on reducing plastic waste, but also promoting environmental awareness and community collaboration, representing a significant step towards more responsible and sustainable tourism.
