Why did you develop the Dopper Water Tap?
At Dopper, we love water. Between 2009 and 2022 we have educated tens of thousands of kids about plastic pollution, saved our oceans from 75.4 mln kgs of plastic waste, provided clean drinking water to 37.400 Nepalis in remote areas, prevented the sale of 3 bln single-use water bottles and empowered 15.1 mln people to choose reusable over single-use plastic.
However, the problem isn't solved. Yet. Millions of single-use plastic water bottles are still being sold on a daily basis. If we continue this behaviour, it’s estimated that by 2040 a total of 27 million metric tons of plastic will end up in our waters every year. Clearly this is not the way to go.
Research* shows that people find refilling their water bottles at public water taps a hassle. It’s just too convenient to buy a single use water bottle. It's our ambition to change the way we drink water. It should be easy, fun and obvious to refill your bottle at a water tap. That’s why we set out to reinvent refilling in a way that’s never been done before. The next big wave for you to use against plastic pollution. The Dopper Water Tap; designed to change behaviour.
How does the Dopper Water Tap change behaviour?
Automatic habitual behaviour is best changed by facilitating the behaviour itself and enhancing the experience, rather than through persuading people to engage in it. A strong focus on sustainability risks driving the target group away who has no interest in this. (Sources: Pol & Swankhuisen, 2020 & Thaler & Sunstein, 2018)
So we introduce an emotional trigger that stimulates a permanent behaviour change. Research indicates that feeling ‘proud’ after engaging in an act of sustainability (tapping water) is effective when people feel that their behaviour has made a positive contribution (Sources: Antonetti & Maklan (2014), Rowe et al. (2019) & Venhoeven et al. 2022).
The Dopper Water Tap offers a unique experience. Its droplet-shaped interface with more than 200 customised, positive messages will interact with your employees or customers and motivate them to start refilling. This way we are tapping (pun intended) into positive emotional triggers to accelerate behavioural change. And that’s not all. A customised dashboard will give you insights into how many times your tap has been used and what impact your organisation is making in the fight against single-use plastic waste.
When will the Dopper Water Tap be available in my country?
The Dopper Water Tap is available in the Netherlands from the 28th of September 2022. Starting Q2 2023 we will be ready to install in Germany, France, Belgium and Spain.