Volkswagen Think Blue and DDB Russia have collaborated on a new eco-currency to put an end to battery pollution. Battery recycling is a dire problem in Russia, with over 15 million batteries and accumulators being thrown away each year. What's more, young people have little eco-awareness, and just one battery can pollute more than 20 square meters of ground with heavy metals.
With the help of DDB, Volkswagen created ‘The Think Machine’, a vending machine installed at popular places across Moscow that only accepts batteries as payment for items from local community shops, for example an eco t-shirt costs 6 batteries, a bottle of pure water costs 4 batteries and an anti-stress ball costs 2.
During the first month alone, one machine collected over 8,000 batteries, compared to a regular collection point which accumulates less than a thousand pieces a month.
