A Point Loman is working on a sustainable packaging startup: a biodegradable pill bottle.
Jared Koett, a 35-year-old entrepreneur, has started Invert, a new company that he is promoting as “the world’s first molded pulp pill bottle.” 
The product being developed is about to be listed on Kickstarter with a goal of raising $37,000 in pledges.
“We’ve created an alternative to the traditional pill bottle using paper,” said Koett. “The Invert pill bottle is built to perform, yet can reduce single-use plastic and boost a company’s bottom-line through warehousing efficiency and brand appeal.”
Noting that Invert is compatible with conveyor and three-point labeling machinery, Koett added it’s soon to be USP-compliant for “light and tight” standards. “Our Invert pill bottle is set to change the industry for the better,” he said on Kickstarter.
After taking Spanish in college, Koett worked overseas in Chile and Nicaragua before returning to the States.
 “I came home with the idea for repackaging surfboards,” he said. “I devised a system made from recycled paper.”
Pointing out sustainable surfboard packaging turned out to be something of a trial run, Koett added, “The business is still running, but is very small.” 
On becoming a startup entrepreneur, Koett said, “It’s tough. You have to have a product that can compete in price and is readily available, otherwise consumers won’t jump on it.”
In researching his new paper product, Koett pointed out traditional plastic pill bottles “take up a lot of space and have little marketing appeal.”
He added the biodegradable pill bottle he is developing has other advantages over traditional plastic containers.
“The cylindrical shape of traditional plastic pill bottles prevent them from stacking efficiently, limiting the number of units that can be stored in any given area,” Koett said. “My pill bottles stack, ‘nest’ inside one another where they end up saving space.”
This helps said Koett because, “Most businesses have difficulty warehousing their packaging, which takes up a lot of space. When space is wasted, value (money) is lost.”
Koett said his new biodegradable product also appeals to the “conscientious consumer.” 
“I would like people to become more aware of how products they use effect the world around them,” the entrepreneur said adding, “Plastic trash is becoming prevalent in more and more places, and it’s more in the public eye now than it’s ever been.”
Noted Koett on his Kickstarter site, “Plastic pollution creates a trickle-down effect. Disturbing ecosystems has devastating and far-reaching consequences to food chains, economies and livelihoods. Moreover, it’s a waste management issue that pollutes our communities and even contaminates our food.”
Concluded Koett: “Sadly, it’s only taken about a half-century to get to this point. Projecting ahead 50 years, our situation will be far worse if we don’t alter our consumer behavior.”
Koett’s biodegradable pill bottle is on Kickstarter at 
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/683550237/29649831?ref=591374&token=0b2b6b1f