mymizu and Audi Japan launch partnership

Partnership aims to track the reduction of 1 million single-use plastic bottles via smartphone app that connects users to free water refill spots.

(Tokyo, January 16th, 2020) 

Audi Japan and Social Innovation Japan committed to a strategic partnership to reduce consumption of single-use plastics and promote sustainable lifestyles, through their collaboration on the “mymizu” smartphone app.

mymizu (“mizu” means water in Japanese) is a platform with a mission to reduce consumption of plastic bottles and catalyse a movement for environmental sustainability across Japan and the world. 

The app connects users to over 5,000 drinking water sources around Japan, and almost 200,000 globally, including public water sources (e.g. water fountains) and partner businesses (cafes, restaurants, hotels and shops), enabling people to refill instead of buying bottled water.

The beta version of the app was released on iOS in September 2019, and gained over 10,000 downloads from 30 countries in three months. The updated version, supported by Audi and due to launch on January 16th 2020, will feature a tracking function to measure the PET bottles and CO2 emissions users have saved, and enables users to contribute to the crowdsourced global database by adding information and photos of refill spots.

mymizu users can:

  1. Find their nearest water refill spot (including 197,000+ public refill spots globally and over 170+ registered businesses in Japan);

  2. Add new refill spots and photos to existing spots to help others refill;

  3. Track their impact, including the number of single-use bottles, CO2, and money saved, as well as the amount of water consumed.

  4. Unlock fun facts about sustainability and graphics to share on social media!


A COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

Japan is the world's second-largest producer of plastic waste per capita. Every year, over 25 billion plastic bottles are produced in Japan alone; enough to circulate the Earth over 128 times when lined up end-to-end. Whilst Japan’s recycling technology and infrastructure are advanced, approximately 3.9 billion bottles (15.4%) are incinerated, sent to landfill, or simply lost to waterways and the oceans annually.

By working with Audi Japan, mymizu hopes to further scale its impact and inspire more environmentally responsible actions in both consumers and corporations alike.

Globally, Audi is committed to sustainability, with goals to reduce its CO2 footprint by 30% by 2025, and achieve a carbon-neutral balance throughout the company by 2050, including the company’s supply and production chains.

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The mymizu app is internationally available for download on iOS and Android.

For information on mymizu: Visit mymizu.co to find out more and to download the app. mymizu is borne out of Social Innovation Japan, a registered non-profit organisation with a mission to activate greater social innovation in and out of Japan.

For information on Audi Japan: Audi Japan KK imports, markets and services Audi & Lamborghini vehicles to Japanese customers through the dealerships. For more information, visit audi.co.jp 

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For media or partnership enquiries please contact media@mymizu.co

一般社団法人Social Innovation Japan

〒151-0062 Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Motoyoyogicho, 4-5


For media enquiries for Audi, please contact +81-03-4575-6309


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Copyright: mymizu, Social Innovation Japan

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