Dripl Refill Point

Dripl Refill Point is a drinks dispenser for offices where you can fill a drink bottle or glass with healthy flavours. The device filters and cools tap water, adds effervescence and mixes it with a flavour concentrate. As a result, soft drinks become healthier and more sustainable as packaging and water transport are avoided. 

The jury on Dripl Refill Point:

Dripl focuses on the simple principles of health and sustainability. The dispensed drinks offer a delicious and sustainable alternative compared to the existing drink vending machines or fountains. The product is simple yet offers sufficient variety. It saves on packaging and water transport and offers a solution for companies that want to ensure that their employees stay healthy.

What does this award mean to you?

Every day, we focus on solving unexpected problems, perfecting our product and streamlining production. We work with a complex interplay between hardware, software and food technology. Making the soft drink industry sustainable is not something that can be achieved overnight. The road is long and challenging, but this award confirms that we are on the right track. It gives us the energy and motivation to work even harder to realise our vision. Our vision sometimes seems like an impossible task, and it often feels like a David-versus-Goliath battle. With our limited resources, we are competing against some giants in the industry, which makes this recognition even more valuable. This fuels our passion even further.

How did the idea for this project come about?

Four years ago, co-founder Lucas Moreau and I (Colin Deblonde, ed.) were standing in front of an old drinks vending machine. We both had a drink bottle in our hand and were struck by the thought: “Why is it that I can fill my bottle with water yet, if I want something flavoured, it always comes in a plastic bottle or can?” We studied the soft drink industry in depth and talked with insiders at the major soft drink giants. They told us that although it is technically possible to build a circular solution, this was not being done for simply one reason: profit margins. As product developers with a sustainable mindset and tons of ambition, we decided to make a bold statement: “We are going to reinvent the soft drink industry.”

What makes your project so special?

With Dripl, we want to change the way we stay hydrated. We are trying to change behaviours and want to facilitate this by providing the best product experience. We introduce a more sustainable solution, without the user having to consciously choose for sustainability. Dripl is not a solution for a niche group willing to pay more or give up convenience for sustainability. We appeal to the masses by ensuring that companies choose Dripl simply because it is the best option: user-friendly, healthy and attractive. And it also happens to be the most sustainable choice.

How does it contribute to a better world?

At Dripl, we have a clear mission: to make the soft drink industry more sustainable. The Refill Point allows consumers to drink packaging-free lemonade or flavoured water without using single-use bottles or cans. For example, we want to do away with the 1.3 billion disposable soft drink containers produced every day. Moreover, we decentralise soft drink production by flavouring the tap water onsite instead of pre-filling and transporting it. This could save 691 tonnes of CO₂ per year in Belgium alone. With this new way of staying hydrated, we also offer healthier alternatives that have less sugar and contain natural ingredients.

Do you have any further plans for this project?

In the summer of 2024, we started producing the new model and now we are busy rolling out that version. Today, thanks to Dripl, employees in more than 300 companies stay hydrated packaging-free. With 7 million packaging units eliminated till now, our ambition with the Refill Point is to ultimately eliminate as many as 1 billion packaging units by 2030.