Bottle it Up: Go Plastic-Free with Sprudel Dispensers

Food & Beverage

September 1, 2020, 7:06 am

Shawn Green is the man on the mission to change the way Dubai drinks water. Mr. Green was inspired to create a wave of change in the way the UAE perceives and consumes its water and as a result, he founded Sprudel, an eco-friendly water company whose products have trickled into offices, restaurants and cafes, and homes all over the UAE since 2016.

Sprudel hopes to help save the planet, one single-use plastic water bottle at a time by educating the UAE’s population about the dangers of single-use plastic and bridging the gap between inspiration and action with its savvy products.

The Sustainabilist spoke with Mr. Green about how easy it is for the UAE to switch to smarter water consumption with Sprudel.

 

How did it all start, from idea to implementation of Sprudel?
The idea for Sprudel found me rather than the other way around. Having been introduced to plastic free drinking solutions in Europe and knowing how dependent we are on plastic bottles here in the UAE, the concept of Sprudel grew out of a natural desire to support our local community and environment. We are fortunate in the UAE to have drinkable tap water, so once we found the right filtration/dispenser combination the real work began with going to market and educating companies about an alternative to single-use plastic water bottles.

How easy is it to go single-use plastic free at home, in the office, and even in restaurants?
Easier than you think. It really boils down to two things, initiative and infrastructure. Most of our client relationships begin when they take the initiative to go green and reach out to us. What remains is a matter of ensuring they meet some basic requirements like having access to a pantry or a water connection (unfortunately not all offices have a water connection). Once that criteria is met and we install a dispenser, there are no real excuses for them to continue using plastic bottles. Our meticulous maintenance of the filtration and dispensing system means they will never have to go back to plastic bottles again. With our Sprudel@Work solutions, clients have unlimited still and sparkling water on a subscription basis. For families, the switch is even easier. Our Sprudel@Home dispensers hook directly into the main water line of the kitchen. Our high-capacity model for restaurants are also an easy swap, but the challenge with that industry is that restaurants make quite a bit of revenue on bottled water, so introducing a new model like flat-rate drinking water or even free water, like you have in Europe for example, will require some additional advocacy from restaurant-goers or from within the industry itself.

What are the lessons learnt that you and your company can share with entrepreneurs who want to contribute to saving our planet?
There is a lot of work to do and no single company or person can do it alone. There are so many problems and issues that need addressing for humanity to become more sustainable, that it can feel overwhelming. We found it helpful to narrow our focus on eradicating the use of single use plastics here in the UAE. This laser sharp focus on a defined issue and target market helps us generate and sustain real momentum towards the end goal of a plastic free UAE. Once you find the issue you are passionate about, educate yourself on the current way things are done, ask a lot of questions and then work to improve the status quo.

What are Sprudel’s future plans?
We’re here for the long haul and still have a lot of work to do in helping the UAE to become more sustainable. Our number one priority is always to provide outstanding service to our existing subscription clients and to work closely with them as they look to become increasingly sustainable. It is what we are passionate about. Looking ahead, we have some very interesting projects in the pipeline to really move the needle on reducing the use of single use plastic water bottles, and I cannot wait to share them with you.