Cassava Bags Australia, a Sydney-based company that produces eco-friendly, single-use bags, has launched a non-fungible token (NFT) giveaway to reward investors for supporting the growing business.

It’s a unique investor hook for a unique product – the bags are plastic-free and organic, made from the cassava plant – a starchy root vegetable. What’s more, the bags (bin liners, shopping, pet-waste) dissolve within minutes in hot water (see below) and biodegrade in composting and landfill.

 

“We are determined to do things differently,” Cassava Bags Australia chief operating officer Telusa Mapapalangi said, adding:

“We want to reward our investors with NFTS. [They] are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people move into the crypto space… We are undertaking a fundraising round at the moment to meet the cost of expansion via the Birchal equity crowdfunding platform and we want to ensure we have truly acknowledged everyone’s valued contribution in the form of a unique Cassava Bags NFT.”

The project hopes that the NFTs, developed by creative production agency Relator, grow in value over time with the success and recognition of the company’s mission to “de-plasticify” the planet.

There are five tiers of NFTs – bronze, silver, gold, platinum and black – which are based on the amount of crowdfunding investment made.

A screenshot from the Cassava Bags Australia crowdfunding site. (Source: birchal.com/company/cassavabagsaustralia)

The appearance of the NFTs themselves is yet to be revealed, but according to Mapapalangi, each one has been uniquely designed to “reflect the style, aim and ethos of sustainability and humanity’s progress towards the green economy”.

As for the blockchain the NFTs are built on and minted on, the company opted for Tezos, which often pitches itself as an eco-friendly, green layer 1 chain.

Unlike Ethereum, which is still transitioning from the energy-chewing proof-of-work consensus mechanism to proof-of-stake, Tezos is already using a version of the latter algorithm, although it’s certainly not the only blockchain doing so at present – other examples include Solana, Cardano and Avalanche to name a few.

“Initially we were concerned about the energy consumption of the blockchain industry as sustainability is a core value of the business,” said Mapapalangi. “To address this, our NFTs will be minted on Tezos. It is a well-known and reliable proof-of-stake blockchain that operates with lower energy requirements than others.”