10 March 2025

Change Starts with Us: How Waterdrop Uses Global Recycling Day to Promote Sustainability

A Day to Think About Recycling and Our Actions
Global Recycling Day happens every year on March 18. It started in 2018 to remind people how important recycling is for our planet. Days like this are a great chance for companies and people to look at what they have done for the environment and to learn what more they can do.
One company using this day to spread awareness is Waterdrop. The company creates small drink cubes that help people drink more water while using less plastic. On Global Recycling Day 2025, Waterdrop shares how its products can reduce plastic waste and improve health.

What is Waterdrop?
Waterdrop was founded in 2016 in Vienna by Martin Murray. Later, Christoph Hermann and Henry Murray joined him as co-founders. Their idea was simple but smart: instead of selling drinks in plastic bottles, they made small cubes full of natural fruit and plant extracts. These cubes dissolve in water, creating a tasty drink without the need for plastic bottles.

Waterdrop's Message on Global Recycling Day
In its special announcement for Global Recycling Day, Waterdrop supports Austria's new plastic bottle deposit system, which started on January 1, 2025. This system adds a small extra charge to plastic bottles and cans, which customers get back when they return the packaging. Waterdrop welcomes this change but says that its microdrinks are an even better alternative.

According to Waterdrop, its products save plastic in big ways. The company claims that drinking their cubes instead of buying plastic bottles can reduce plastic waste by up to 98%. They also say that avoiding bottled drinks can lower CO2 emissions, helping to protect the environment. A fact Waterdrop shares is that an average person unknowingly consumes about a credit card's worth of microplastic every week. By cutting back on plastic bottles, people can reduce their plastic intake and help clean up the planet.

Waterdrop's Packaging: Not Yet Plastic-Free
Fashion.at checked Waterdrop's website for more details on its packaging. The drink cubes come in small plastic blisters made of polypropylene (PP). The company explains that PP uses less energy to make and is easier to recycle than other plastics. Each blister can be recycled up to four times.

Waterdrop admits that it is not yet plastic-free, but it is working on better packaging. The company says that finding an alternative is difficult because the cubes do not contain preservatives. Without a strong seal, they would not last as long, which would also create waste. Waterdrop is still searching for the best solution and has also started making new products from recycled blisters. (Source: waterdrop.de)

Test: How Much Plastic and CO2 Can You Save?
To see the real impact, Fashion.at used Waterdrop's online calculator. We entered 20 waterdrops as the number of cubes consumed. The result showed:

- 1 kg of plastic saved
- 3 kg of CO2 saved

To check the plausibility of these numbers, Fashion.at compared them with general data on plastic bottle waste. A typical 500ml plastic bottle weighs around 20 grams, which is also the value Waterdrop uses in its calculations. Based on this, the actual plastic savings per 20 waterdrops would be significantly lower than 1 kg. This optimistic result suggests that Waterdrop's calculator may factor in additional elements beyond just bottle weight.

The CO2 savings might depend on production and transportation differences. While Waterdrop's calculator shows optimistic results, exact savings may vary.

These numbers still highlight how much difference one small habit change can make. Instead of buying drinks in plastic bottles, using Waterdrop's cubes can help reduce waste and protect the environment.

Conclusion: Small Choices, Big Impact
Waterdrop's message for Global Recycling Day is clear: what we drink and how we buy it matters. While the company is not completely plastic-free, its product helps cut down plastic waste in a meaningful way.

The biggest takeaway? We have the power to make a change. Our daily habits—like choosing reusable bottles and avoiding plastic packaging—can make a huge difference for the planet. Why not check your own impact and see how much plastic and CO2 you can save with one of the online calculators, such as on the website of Waterdrop's cooperation partner, the Plastic Bank?


Image, from left: Waterdrop founder Martin Murray with co-founders Henry Murray and Christoph Hermann. Photo: © waterdrop.