b:bot

b:bot is a French startup specializing in the manufacture of reverse vending machines (RVMs) that collect, sort, and process PET plastic bottles for recycling.

The company has quickly established itself as a leader in the RVM market in France, achieving an 80% market share within three years and installing over 1,200 machines nationwide. The b:bot machines are compact, occupying less than one square meter, and can process up to 30 bottles per minute. They feature advanced sorting technology that scans barcodes to identify and sort bottles by color, and they significantly reduce bottle volume through on-site shredding. b:bot also offers a digital ecosystem that includes consumer reward programs, allowing users to earn points or vouchers for each bottle deposited. Operating on a circular economy model, b:bot sells the collected plastic flakes back to beverage manufacturers, contributing to sustainable production cycles.