PROJECT V-COIN
Creative Strategy | Service Design | Brand Activation
A concept campaign turning Verde Market's zero-waste mission toward e-waste — using open data to reward customers for recycling electronics they'd otherwise let sit in a drawer.
The Brand
Verde Market
We generate roughly 40 million tons of e-waste globally every year and it makes up 70% of all toxic waste, even though most of it is just old phones and chargers sitting in a drawer.
The Tension
Verde Market had already built real credibility around zero-waste living — bulk goods, bring-your-own-container, a loyal Miami customer base — but its brand strengths came with real business tension underneath: premium pricing that could price out average customers, delivery emissions that quietly worked against the brand's own values, and bigger supermarkets undercutting on price for similar quality. Expanding into a new, specific waste stream was a way to deepen the mission rather than just defend it — but it needed to reward the customer directly, not just ask more of them.
The Research
A full SWOT surfaced the opportunity space: Verde Market's strongest assets (its first-of-its-kind Miami footprint, strong brand identity, multi-location presence) gave it room to expand its zero-waste focus into new categories, while an open-data insight — that e-waste makes up such an outsized share of global toxic waste despite being one of the most recoverable materials — pointed specifically toward electronics as the next frontier.
The Idea
V-Coin. Turn e-waste recycling into its own currency — every device a customer brings in converts directly into Verde Market credit, using real open data on environmental impact to make the exchange feel meaningful, not transactional.
How It Works
The system is simple by design: bring in old electronics, a team member weighs them and converts the weight to V-Coins (1 V-Coin per 2 oz of e-waste), and the balance is tracked by phone number — usable at checkout on any bulk item or good in-store. No app, no card, no friction.
The Campaign
Social & OOH — Instagram posts, story ads, and transit ads carry e-waste facts and a clear how-to, positioning V-Coin as approachable rather than preachy — speaking to Gen Z and Millennials already curious about sustainable living, not just the already-converted.
The Interactive Pop-Up — Physical "balance" stations placed outside major electronics retailers — Apple, Best Buy, GameStop — let passersby weigh a device on the spot and see two numbers at once: the environmental cost of throwing it away, and the V-Coins they'd earn by recycling it at Verde Market instead. Placing the activation at the exact moment someone's thinking about their electronics is what turns a data point into a decision.
Credits
Tools: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, ChatGPT