Dripl wins Henry van de Velde Award 2025

Dripl, the Belgian company behind the 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 in the soft drink industry, which focuses on health, sustainability and packaging-free consumption.

Contribution to a packaging-free future

Since its founding, Dripl has eliminated more than 9 million packages. The fast-growing start-up not only reduces waste, but also limits transportation. "By having production and consumption 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 model of the Refill Point. Today, the company is rolling out this model widely. More than 300 companies now hydrate packaging-free thanks to Dripl. With 9 million avoided packages on the counter, the goal is to eliminate as much as 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 effervescence, 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 it often feels like a David versus Goliath battle. With limited resources, we are competing against some giants in the industry, which makes this recognition even more valuable. Our fire is already extra fueled." says Lucas Moreau.

From idea to impact

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

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

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