Dopper’s Mission to End Packaged Water
“It didn’t start from a bottle, it started from a movement.”
— Merijn Everaarts, Founder of Dopper
In this episode of Journey to Regeneration, I talk to Merijn Everaarts, founder of Dopper, the Netherlands-based social enterprise best known for its reusable water bottles and its broader mission to end packaged water. What makes Dopper distinctive is that it was conceived not as a product company, but as a movement aimed at shifting consumption norms in places where safe tap water is already available.
Merijn describes how a moment of recognition—watching plastic waste blow into the sea—sparked the founding of Dopper in 2009. From the outset, the company embedded material responsibility through Cradle to Cradle certification and later became one of the first B Corps in the Netherlands. But the conversation goes beyond certification. Dopper’s “no more excuses” strategy integrates modular product design, retail partnerships, public tap installations, engaging policy, and collaborations like mapping refill points on Google Maps. The company donates a portion of revenue to water access projects in Nepal, while also challenging multinational bottled water practices.
What emerges is a case study in regenerative business thinking. Rather than diversifying into products adjacent to bottles, Dopper has remained focused on eliminating the very category it operates within. For listeners, this episode offers a grounded example of how companies can combine commercial discipline with systems change—rethinking infrastructure, incentives, and everyday habits in pursuit of broader ecological and social goals.
Key Takeaways
Regeneration Can Begin with Behavioral Change
Dopper’s mission focuses on transforming everyday consumption habits, not just selling a reusable product.“No More Excuses” as Strategy
Innovation at Dopper is driven by removing barriers—through modular design, different sizes, add-ons, and compatibility.Infrastructure Matters
Installing public water taps and mapping refill stations shifts the system around consumption, not just individual choice.Certification as Internal Discipline
Cradle to Cradle and B Corp certifications have served as tools for operational improvement and accountability.Commercial Structure as Leverage
Choosing a for-profit model over an NGO structure allowed Dopper to scale influence and reach broader audiences.Regenerative Business Aligns Product, Purpose, and Policy
Dopper combines consumer goods, activism, lobbying, and education—illustrating a multi-level approach to systems change.
Listen to the full episode here:
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The regenerative business practices and sustainability innovations highlighted in this week’s Regenerative Insights directly tackle the critical issues of corporate responsibility explored in my recent book explored in my recent book, The Profiteers: How Business Privatizes Profit and Socializes Cost.