Dripl wins Henry van de Velde Award 2025

Dripl, the Belgian company behind sustainable Refill Points, has won the prestigious Henry van de Velde Award 2025 in the Business Innovation category. The award recognizes Dripl's innovative approach to the soft drink industry, which prioritizes health, sustainability, and packaging-free consumption.

Contribution to a packaging-free future

Since its founding, Dripl has eliminated over 9 million packages. The fast-growing startup not only reduces waste but also limits transport. "By having production and consumption take place in the same place, we avoid unnecessary water transport and CO₂ emissions," explains Colin Deblonde. In Belgium alone, this saves 691 tons of CO₂ per year.

In the summer of 2024, Dripl began production of a new Refill Point model. Today, the company is rolling this model out widely. More than 300 businesses are now hydrating packaging-free thanks to Dripl. With 9 million packages already avoided, the goal is to eliminate 1 billion packages by 2030.

Recognition and growth

The Refill Point offers healthier alternatives with less sugar and natural ingredients. Users choose from six flavors and can personalize their "Dripl" in terms of sparkling, flavor intensity and temperature.

The Henry van de Velde jury appreciated the simplicity and effectiveness of the concept. "The product offers variety, saves on packaging and transportation, and responds to companies' need to keep their employees healthy," the jury stated.

"Our vision sometimes seems like an impossible task and often feels like a David versus Goliath battle. With limited resources, we're competing against some industry giants, which makes this recognition even more valuable. Our fire has already been further stoked," says Lucas Moreau.

From idea to impact

Lucas Moreau and Colin Deblonde founded Dripl in 2020. The idea came to them while standing in front of a traditional vending machine, each holding a reusable bottle. They wondered why getting soft drinks always had to involve disposable packaging. This inspired them to develop Refill Point, a vending machine that filters, chills, carbonates, and mixes tap water with natural flavor concentrates.

"We discovered that circular solutions are technically feasible, but often not implemented because profitability is paramount in the industry," says Lucas Moreau. "That motivated us to do things differently. We're going to reinvent the soft drinks industry."

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