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Why Dripl won the Henry van de Velde Award for Business Innovation
Why Dripl won the Henry van de Velde Award for Business Innovation.
We have to admit: it feels good to get recognition for something we've been working very hard on for years. 🏆
Driplwon the Henry van de Velde Business Innovation Award, and we are quite proud of that. Not just because it's a prestigious award, but mainly because it confirms that soft drinks without disposable packaging are no longer a distant vision of the future-it's happening now.
But how did we get here? What makes the Refill Point 2.0 so special? And why did the judges think we deserved this award?
An industry stuck in waste
Soft drinks are simple: water, a little flavor, sometimes some effervescence.... Yet we drag it around the world in cans and plastic bottles, only to drink it within five minutes and throw away the packaging. Every day there are 1.3 billion disposable beverage containers are produced, and much of it ends up in landfills or in the ocean.
Why are we still doing this? We wondered the same thing. Why transport soda when you have drinkable water everywhere? Why make packaging when you can just fill a glass or reusable bottle?
That idea led to the Dripl Refill Point. No cans, no plastic bottles. Just tap your drink on the spot, just the way you want it.
It worked. Companies switched over. Employees loved it. And in the meantime, we saved millions in packaging. But there was still one problem: The first version of the Refill Point could be better.
The evolution: toward the Refill Point 2.0
The first version proved that there was demand for packaging-free soft drinks. But if we really wanted to change the industry, the system had to be stronger, smarter and more scalable.
"The first version worked well, but had its limitations," says Lucas Moreau (Co-founder). "If we wanted to make an impact on a large scale, the machine had to be more reliable, easier to maintain and ready for growth."
So the reset button went in. The 2.0 was completely rebuilt. Better technology, better taste, easier to install and maintain. At least 10 years of life, with a smart sensor that monitors consumption and maintenance.
"The first version's software was duct tape together," laughs Edward (Software Lead). "It worked, but every time we added something new, we risked breaking something somewhere else. With the 2.0, we rebuilt everything from scratch so that we could continue to develop for the future."
But it wasn't easy. The testing phase was intense. Machines running endlessly to detect bugs, drinks mixed wrong, small details that required weeks of adjustments. The moment in early 2024 when the first perfectly working 2.0 rolled out of our R&D center in Haasrodewas a milestone for the entire team.
And it didn't stop there. Many of the learnings from the development of the 2.0 we also fed back into the first version. The software was updated, processes were optimized and some technical improvements were also integrated into the 1.0. For example, we ensured that all Dripl Refill Points - from the very first to the latest version - continue to improve.
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Why the jury chose Dripl
The Henry van de Velde Award honors design that makes an impact.
Many sustainable initiatives focus on recycling or alternative materials. That's fine, but Dripl takes a different approach: we simply take the packaging out of the chain.
"People see the Refill Point and often say, 'Why didn't this exist yet?'," Lucas says. "That's the power of good design: the best solutions feel obvious afterwards."
The judges awarded Dripl for several reasons:
- Simple and intuitive - No need to think, just fill your glass or water bottle.
- Scalable - Companies can easily make the switch.
- Measurable impact - Already 9 million disposable containers saved and growing every day.
- Smart technology - IoT monitoring makes the system more efficient and waste-free.
What next? Scaling up and increasing impact
Withthe Refill Point 2.0 in full rollout, we are taking the next step: Helping even more companies and offices switch to a packaging-free beverage supply."By 2030, we want to look back and think, 'Remember when soda was always in plastic or cans? How absurd was that?'
Ourgoal? Avoiding 1 billion disposable packages. That's what we continue to work toward." - Lucas Moreau
Toknowmore?📍 Read the full Henry van de Velde Award story
📅Come to the talk on May 28 in Genk, where Lucas talks about design and impact.
This isthe Refillution. 🍹
Why Dripl won the Henry van de Velde Award for Business Innovation.
We have to admit: it feels good to get recognition for something we've been working very hard on for years. 🏆
Driplwon the Henry van de Velde Business Innovation Award, and we are quite proud of that. Not just because it's a prestigious award, but mainly because it confirms that soft drinks without disposable packaging are no longer a distant vision of the future-it's happening now.
But how did we get here? What makes the Refill Point 2.0 so special? And why did the judges think we deserved this award?
An industry stuck in waste
Soft drinks are simple: water, a little flavor, sometimes some effervescence.... Yet we drag it around the world in cans and plastic bottles, only to drink it within five minutes and throw away the packaging. Every day there are 1.3 billion disposable beverage containers are produced, and much of it ends up in landfills or in the ocean.
Why are we still doing this? We wondered the same thing. Why transport soda when you have drinkable water everywhere? Why make packaging when you can just fill a glass or reusable bottle?
That idea led to the Dripl Refill Point. No cans, no plastic bottles. Just tap your drink on the spot, just the way you want it.
It worked. Companies switched over. Employees loved it. And in the meantime, we saved millions in packaging. But there was still one problem: The first version of the Refill Point could be better.
The evolution: toward the Refill Point 2.0
The first version proved that there was demand for packaging-free soft drinks. But if we really wanted to change the industry, the system had to be stronger, smarter and more scalable.
"The first version worked well, but had its limitations," says Lucas Moreau (Co-founder). "If we wanted to make an impact on a large scale, the machine had to be more reliable, easier to maintain and ready for growth."
So the reset button went in. The 2.0 was completely rebuilt. Better technology, better taste, easier to install and maintain. At least 10 years of life, with a smart sensor that monitors consumption and maintenance.
"The first version's software was duct tape together," laughs Edward (Software Lead). "It worked, but every time we added something new, we risked breaking something somewhere else. With the 2.0, we rebuilt everything from scratch so that we could continue to develop for the future."
But it wasn't easy. The testing phase was intense. Machines running endlessly to detect bugs, drinks mixed wrong, small details that required weeks of adjustments. The moment in early 2024 when the first perfectly working 2.0 rolled out of our R&D center in Haasrodewas a milestone for the entire team.
And it didn't stop there. Many of the learnings from the development of the 2.0 we also fed back into the first version. The software was updated, processes were optimized and some technical improvements were also integrated into the 1.0. For example, we ensured that all Dripl Refill Points - from the very first to the latest version - continue to improve.
Why the jury chose Dripl
The Henry van de Velde Award honors design that makes an impact.
Many sustainable initiatives focus on recycling or alternative materials. That's fine, but Dripl takes a different approach: we simply take the packaging out of the chain.
"People see the Refill Point and often say, 'Why didn't this exist yet?'," Lucas says. "That's the power of good design: the best solutions feel obvious afterwards."
The judges awarded Dripl for several reasons:
- Simple and intuitive - No need to think, just fill your glass or water bottle.
- Scalable - Companies can easily make the switch.
- Measurable impact - Already 9 million disposable containers saved and growing every day.
- Smart technology - IoT monitoring makes the system more efficient and waste-free.
What next? Scaling up and increasing impact
Withthe Refill Point 2.0 in full rollout, we are taking the next step: Helping even more companies and offices switch to a packaging-free beverage supply."By 2030, we want to look back and think, 'Remember when soda was always in plastic or cans? How absurd was that?'
Ourgoal? Avoiding 1 billion disposable packages. That's what we continue to work toward." - Lucas Moreau
Toknowmore?📍 Read the full Henry van de Velde Award story
📅Come to the talk on May 28 in Genk, where Lucas talks about design and impact.
This isthe Refillution. 🍹
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