Greenwashing or Saving the World: Dopper’s mission of fighting plastic with plastic
John Huth
The earth’s plastic waste problem along with its causes of biodiversity loss and destruction of natural habitats is as present as ever before. Decades of mindlessly abusing single-use plastics, trapped in the ‘kleenex culture’ as referred to by Victor Papanek in his book Design for the Real World, is finally catching up to humankind and society is desperate for solutions. Luckily, Dopper, a Dutch company is there to save the oceans with their sustainable, reusable plastic water bottle design. Or so they claim. In this paper I will be critically analyzing and reviewing the Dopper Original water bottle with the central focus on challenging the company’s claims and demystifying whether the user is being greenwashed or truly contributing to a better tomorrow.
The Dopper Classic water bottle is roughly 25cm tall standing upwards, it holds 450ml of water and is manufactured out of BPA/plasticizer and toxin-free plastics such as Polypropylene, Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and Thermoplastic elastomer. The Dopper Original is sold in seven different colorways and each unit can be purchased at a price of only €12.50. The design has incorporated a sleek feature of a bottleneck with a double function as a cup when unscrewed at the lower half while the bottle also includes a top lid for fast access and use of its full water capacity. When purchasing the bottle online it even gives the customer the option to customize the cup with various patterns, text or even personal images.
Now what makes this water bottle so special and how is it planning on saving the planet? To begin answering this question we must address the core problem this company is challenging, which is single-use water bottles. According to the Cradle to Cradle Centre, in the United States alone
over 450,000 single-use water bottles are used every minute of which less than 20% end up being recycled resulting in 8 million tons of plastic entering the ocean every year (C2C Centre, 2014).
The Dopper company claims and advertises that by purchasing and using one of their reusable bottles the buyer stops 5 kilos of plastic and 200 single-use bottles in total from entering the ocean annually. Additionally, the customer is promised that 10% of the profit made of each sale is donated to clean drinking water projects running in Nepal. While the Dopper company is already claiming to do so much to fight the single-use plastic waste problem it is also notable that the Dopper Original water bottle has in fact received a Cradle to Cradle bronze certification. This means that the product is entirely recyclable and remanufactured into a new Dopper product when returned to the seller, thus becoming part of the circular economy (C2C-Centre, 2014).
While all these claims may let the Dopper company appear as a sustainable and active player in fighting pollution, there are still other factors possibly contradicting the company’s values. Dopper is fighting plastic with products are recyclable and Cradle t plastic, and while the specific materials used to manufacture the company’s o Cradle approved, even if without intending to do so, this type of low prized, fashionable product still plays an active part in the Kleenex Culture as described by Victor Papanek. In his text, Design for the Real World, chapter 5, Our Kleenex Culture: Obsolescence and Value, Papanek identifies that the consumer behaviour of a throw-away society is driven by the technological obsolescing of products. The obsolescence of products can occur due to wear and tear of the items but also because of more fashionable products reducing the value of existing ones. When discussing the obsolescence of Dopper it is noticeable how low the prices are and that the main material used is still plastic. Regarding the pricing of a product V. Papanek states that “a second way of dealing with the technological obsolescing of products lies in restructuring prices for the consumer market.” (Papanek, p.99).
With the cost of the bottle lying at only €12.50 including a 2-in-1 cup and bottle feature and the option to customize your product with stylish colors, patterns and personal images, Dopper is insanely price competitive.
While the selection of materials was seemingly focused around the core idea of the ability to reintroduce all resources used back into the production of new bottles, it is questionable why the company decided to do exactly that over completely eradicating plastic from its product line. How come the company did not chose to produce a much more durable product using materials exceeding a life span far than the one of plastic products? To put it in Papanek’s words “Such items, combining usefulness, bright color modish design, comfort, extremely low cost, light weight and easy ‘knock down factors’ with eventual disposability, naturally appeal to young people and college students.” (Papanek, p.99) This raises an important point: while the company may sell us the perfect combination of features, looks and price today it may not appeal to us anymore as soon as a new and better one is introduced to the market. Is it possible that Dopper isn’t just looking to save the oceans but to also make a quick buck claiming to do so?
Overall, the Dopper company is on the right path. Their Dopper Original water bottle has received a highly praised certification by the Cradle to Cradle Centre and is setting an example for the plastic industry. Whether the Dopper company is out to make a profit and benefit from our society’s consumer culture or truly to clean the oceans and fund drinking water projects, Dopper is challenging the obsolescence and value of the single use plastic water bottle. While the use of plastic itself is still questionable in first place, more products need to be designed suitable for the circular economy, either as a BPA/plasticizer and toxin-free good or by introducing new innovative solutions eradicating plastic entirely.
