Thousands of biodegradable eco-boxes have been handed out to the Chiswick community as part of a pilot scheme aimed at supporting local businesses.

The boxes are being handed out around the Chiswick High Road and Turnham Green Terrace areas to provide shoppers with an environmentally friendly option, especially if they have forgotten their bags for life.

Businesses benefit from advertising on the outside of the boxes in the form of digital promotions through the latest augmented reality (AR) tech.

Each bag provides details on how shoppers can download and watch AR promotions for the businesses.

The man behind the idea is eco-tech entrepreneur Arthur Chirkinian. He said: "It’s time for a radical rethink on the amount of plastic packaging and indeed plastic bags we still use - whether consumers pay for their shoppers or not, the issue is the continued use of plastic which we need to reduce.

Entrepreneur Arthur Chirkinian with Nicky Mandal, owner of Turnham Arts Supplies

"Our resolution is simple: surely we can provide free and convenient eco boxes at the same time as promoting local businesses."

His Chiswick based company, in Your Face Advertising, has been approached by national brands including Barclays and Hilton for its green promotion idea.

Thousands of bags have been handed out to shoppers

It is the first time AR has been used for promoting local business.

Throughout December and into 2018, the boxes are being handed out at Chiswick Arts & Crafts and at Brentford’s Jet service station.

Unlike virtual reality (VR) which uses a virtual world, AR uses a physical, real-world "augmented" by computer-generated sensory inputs such as sound, video and graphics.

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