Press & Media
Media kit and resources for journalists
Everything you need to write about BottleChallenge in one place: our story, the facts, quotable statements, ready-to-publish articles and downloadable assets. For interviews or anything you cannot find here, get in touch and we will respond quickly.
Press brief
Full background document for journalists
One sentence
BottleChallenge is a free mobile app and web platform that helps people find water refill points worldwide and rewards them for choosing reusable bottles over single-use plastic.
The problem
Every year the world produces hundreds of billions of single-use plastic bottles. Most are emptied within minutes and then linger for centuries, and fewer than one in ten is ever recycled. Microplastics have since been found in tap water, in human lungs and in the blood of newborns. Recycling helps, but it always arrives too late, dealing with plastic that already exists. The only real fix is to stop the bottle from being made in the first place.
The idea
BottleChallenge makes the reusable choice the easy one. Open the app and it shows the nearest place to refill for free. Confirm the refill, collect points, and spend them on something worth having: a cinema ticket, a museum visit, a night at a discounted hotel. The effort is almost nothing and the reward comes at once, and that combination is what turns a one-off good intention into a habit.
How it works
Open the app and find the nearest refill point on the map. Fill your reusable bottle with tap water, then hold your phone to the NFC tag to confirm the refill in seconds. Earn EcoDrops points and redeem them for cultural and lifestyle experiences from reward partners.
The network
More than 57,000 refill points across 95 countries: cafés, restaurants, hotels, public fountains, offices and cultural institutions. Venues join for free, receive an NFC tag and a window sticker, and get their own profile on the map with a running tally of the plastic their guests have helped avoid, ready to use in their own communication.
What makes BottleChallenge different
Prevention, not cleanup. Most environmental projects deal with plastic once it already exists. BottleChallenge keeps it from being made at all. Every refill is a bottle that was never bought, never produced and never thrown away.
Rewards you can actually use. EcoDrops turn into genuine experiences, not virtual badges. Museum tickets, cinema and theatre, concerts, hotel discounts. The reward is immediate and tangible, which is exactly what makes a habit hold.
Verification you can trust. A refill is confirmed by tapping an NFC tag at the venue, backed by location and timing checks, so every logged refill is a real event and not a number someone typed in.
Blockchain-verified impact data. Every NFC event is recorded and written to a public blockchain via the Eco-In platform, also operated by BrainGreen Foundation. Each token represents exactly one kilogram of plastic prevented, with a precise timestamp and location. The data is immutable, independently verifiable and audit-ready.
ESG and CSRD compliance. Through the Teams module, companies can engage their employees in the programme and receive aggregated, anonymised impact data for sustainability reporting. The data maps directly onto ESRS E5 and GRI indicators for waste management. Eco-In tokens provide an auditable chain of evidence from physical event to ESG report, meeting the requirements of the EU Green Claims Directive and CSRD.
Designed around behaviour, not guilt. Rankings, group challenges and a personal impact counter make the habit visible and a little competitive. A reward that lands now holds people far better than an appeal to conscience.
Nonprofit and ad-free. BottleChallenge is run by BrainGreen Foundation, a registered nonprofit in Warsaw. No investors, no advertising, no data for sale.
Built by volunteers. The entire project, from research and design through development to partner outreach, has been built by a team of volunteers over nearly three years. This includes developers, analysts, psychologists, sociologists, project managers and field coordinators.
Crowdsourced and self-maintaining. Users can add new refill points directly in the app and earn points for doing so. They can also report incorrect or non-functioning locations. The network maintains and grows itself.
The Teams module
Companies can bring their employees into BottleChallenge. Each person links their account to their employer, and their refills are pooled anonymously at the company level. A dashboard shows total refills, kilograms of plastic prevented and CO₂e avoided, and the figures export straight into ESG and CSR reporting, mapping onto ESRS E5 and GRI indicators for waste. Internal leaderboards and challenges turn it into something a team does together, around a goal everyone can see.
How it stays free
BottleChallenge is free for individuals and always will be, with no ads, no tracking and no hidden fees. It is designed to be paid for in ways that never depend on monetising the people who use it.
Teams subscriptions: companies that use the Teams module to engage their employees and track collective environmental impact pay a monthly subscription. Plans start at €99 per month. This is the primary source of revenue and funds the infrastructure, development and day-to-day operations of the entire platform.
Eco-In tokens: companies that need verified, audit-ready plastic prevention data for ESG reports and CSRD filings can acquire Eco-In tokens through the Eco-In platform. Each token represents one kilogram of plastic prevented, recorded on a public blockchain. This provides companies with documented proof of environmental impact and funds further development of the verification system.
Voluntary donations: from people and organisations who simply want the project to grow.
Every euro goes back into the network and the app.
Verified impact, and why the timing matters
One of the project's most ambitious pieces is still being built. Through a companion platform called Eco-In, BrainGreen Foundation is developing a way to make every prevented bottle provable. The principle is simple: anchor each verified refill to a public blockchain, with one token standing for one kilogram of plastic prevented, carrying its own timestamp and location. Because such a token is unique, single-use and impossible to reassign, the record is designed to resist double-counting and the kind of vague claims that fuel greenwashing, and to give a company an auditable chain of evidence that runs from a physical refill all the way to its sustainability report. The aim is to meet a fast-approaching moment: from September 2026 the EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive (Directive 2024/825) bans vague environmental claims unless they are backed by evidence, and companies reporting under the CSRD need precisely this kind of documented, verifiable data. BrainGreen is developing the platform through 2026, refining the technology, the impact methodology and the external audits behind it, with launch planned for January 2027.
Key figures
Timeline
The organisation
BottleChallenge is a project of BrainGreen Foundation (Fundacja BrainGreen), a registered nonprofit organisation based in Warsaw, Poland. KRS: 0000964547. NIP: 5252903313. The foundation has no shareholders, pays no dividends and generates no profit. All revenue from the Teams subscription plans is reinvested into the project.
Press contact
About BottleChallenge
The problem
Every year the world produces hundreds of billions of single-use plastic bottles. Most are emptied within minutes and then linger for centuries, and fewer than one in ten is ever recycled. Microplastics have since been found in tap water, in human lungs and in the blood of newborns. Recycling helps, but it always arrives too late, dealing with plastic that already exists. The only real fix is to stop the bottle from being made in the first place.
The idea
BottleChallenge makes the reusable choice the easy one. Open the app and it shows the nearest place to refill for free. Confirm the refill, collect points, and spend them on something worth having: a cinema ticket, a museum visit, a night at a discounted hotel. The effort is almost nothing and the reward comes at once, and that combination is what turns a one-off good intention into a habit.
What makes us different
- Rewards for every refill: not just a map, but a motivation engine
- Funded by Teams subscriptions, Eco-In tokens and donations; always ad-free
- Partners benefit too: more foot traffic, more loyalty, zero cost
- NFC technology: tap your phone to verify refills and earn points
- Truly global: 57,000+ refill points across 95 countries
- Open & transparent: a project by BrainGreen Foundation (nonprofit)
How it works
Find a refill point
Open the map on bottlechallenge.org, search by location, or use GPS to find the nearest participating café, restaurant, or public fountain.
Refill and confirm
Fill your reusable bottle with tap water, then hold your phone to the NFC tag to confirm the refill in a second.
Earn rewards
Collect EcoDrops points and redeem them for cinema tickets, museum entries, wellness passes, workshops, and more from reward partners.
Who we engage
Individual users
Eco-conscious people of all ages who carry reusable bottles and want to reduce plastic waste while earning real rewards.
Free to join, available worldwide
Refill partners
Cafés, restaurants, hotels, offices and public venues that offer free water refills, gaining visibility and goodwill at no cost.
Free for venues, always
Reward partners
Cinemas, theatres, museums, hotels and event organisers that contribute experiences as rewards and reach a new, engaged audience.
Growing network across Europe and beyond
Municipalities & NGOs
City authorities and environmental organisations that want to promote tap water and map public refill points. Open to partnerships at any scale.
Open to partnerships at any scale
Roadmap & vision
2022–2024: Research & Design
- •Developing a system to drive lasting behavioural change, motivating people to ditch single-use plastics, even those who don't consider themselves environmentally conscious
- •Behavioural research, sociological analysis and psychological modelling with a team of psychologists, sociologists, and analysts
- •Early prototypes and field testing to validate real-world impact on habits and attitudes
- •Building the concept of an incentive-based reward ecosystem around reusable bottles
2025: Development
- •Full-scale development of the web application and mobile app, powered by a team of volunteers: developers, analysts, project managers, psychologists, sociologists, and frontline outreach coordinators contacting partners, venues, and reward partners
- •Interactive map with 57,000+ refill points across 95 countries
- •EcoDrops reward system with NFC visit verification
- •Reward partner program (cinemas, museums, wellness centres, and more)
- •User accounts with personal environmental impact tracking
March 2026: Web Launch
- •Official release of the full web platform at bottlechallenge.org, featuring the refill map, NFC scanning, EcoDrops wallet, partner dashboards, reward shop, impact tracking, invite system, and complete legal compliance (GDPR, cookies, DPA)
- •Continued development of native mobile apps for iOS and Android
- •Expanding the reward partner network worldwide: experiences only (cinema, culture, wellness, workshops), never physical products, to also combat overconsumption
April 2026: Mobile Launch
- •Native mobile app available on App Store and Google Play
- •Gamification: leaderboards, challenges, and streaks
- •Intensive expansion of reward partner venues globally, introducing new reward categories
Through 2026: Eco-In Development
- •Building the Eco-In verification layer: the technology, the impact methodology and the external audits behind it
- •Preparing for the EU Green Claims Directive (Directive 2024/825), effective September 2026, which bans vague environmental claims unless backed by evidence
- •Developing audit-ready plastic-prevention data for CSRD reporting
January 2027: Eco-In Launch & Global Expansion
- •Eco-In launch, with verified, audit-ready impact data available for early partners
- •Scaling the project to new markets across South America, Asia, and Africa
- •Extending the platform to reduce other single-use packaging (cups, containers, cutlery)
- •Corporate sustainability dashboards for office and hospitality partners
- •City partnership program for public fountain mapping
- •API for third-party integrations and smart bottle manufacturers
Ready-to-publish articles
We have prepared a set of ready-to-publish articles covering different angles of the BottleChallenge story. Each piece is written and editorially polished. You are welcome to publish any of them as-is, adapt them to your editorial style, or use them as background material. All articles are available in English and Polish.
Plastic waste that never exists can never end up in a landfill.
Environmental, climate and zero waste publications
How NFC, blockchain and behavioural psychology are fighting the plastic crisis
Technology, startup and innovation publications
The era of declarations is over. ESG now requires proof.
Business, HR, CSR and sustainability publications
A reusable bottle, an app and a free museum ticket. This is what practical environmentalism looks like.
Lifestyle, travel, parenting and health publications
Ready-to-use content
Boilerplate (about paragraph)
BottleChallenge is a free, global platform that helps people find water refill points and choose reusable bottles over single-use plastic. Every refill earns EcoDrops, reward points that can be exchanged for real cultural and lifestyle experiences from partner venues, from cinema and theatre tickets to museum entries and hotel discounts. Founded in 2022 in Warsaw, Poland, by the nonprofit BrainGreen Foundation, BottleChallenge maps more than 57,000 refill points across 95 countries. It is ad-free and built and run by a team of volunteers.
Short bio (for social media)
BottleChallenge helps you find free water refill points worldwide and rewards you for skipping single-use plastic. A nonprofit project by BrainGreen Foundation.
Quotable statements
“We don't just show people where to find water. We reward them for choosing reuse over waste, and that is what sets BottleChallenge apart from any other refill map.”
— Dawid Klimaszewski, President of BrainGreen Foundation
“The bottle that is never bought is the one that never has to be collected, sorted or recycled. Prevention is the part of this problem almost everyone skips, and it is exactly where we started.”
— Dawid Klimaszewski, President of BrainGreen Foundation
“Sustainability should be rewarding, not just responsible. People should not have to choose between convenience and doing the right thing, so we made the right choice the easier one.”
— Dawid Klimaszewski, President of BrainGreen Foundation
Statements available for attribution to Dawid Klimaszewski, President of BrainGreen Foundation. Please confirm preferred attribution with the press team.
Key facts at a glance
| Full name | BottleChallenge |
| Type | Free, nonprofit, ad-free platform |
| Operated by | BrainGreen Foundation (Fundacja BrainGreen) |
| Headquarters | Warsaw, Poland |
| KRS | 0000964547 |
| NIP | 5252903313 |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Coverage | 95 countries, 57,000+ refill points |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android |
| Technology | NFC tags for refill verification |
| Reward system | EcoDrops, redeemable for cultural and lifestyle experiences |
| Funding | Teams subscriptions, Eco-In and donations; ad-free |
| Impact methodology | Around 24 g of plastic and 82 g of CO₂e avoided per refill |
| Built and run by | A team of volunteers |
| Website | bottlechallenge.org |
| Social | Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn |
Brand assets & downloads
Logo
BrainGreen Foundation logo
BottleChallenge is operated by BrainGreen Foundation, Warsaw, Poland.
Photos and screenshots
App screenshots (iOS and Android)
High-resolution files available on request at [email protected]
Brand colors
Primary Green
#019444
Dark
#111827
White
#FFFFFF
Light Gray
#F9FAFB
Brand usage guidelines
- Always write "BottleChallenge" as one word with capital B and C
- Do not modify, distort, or recolor the logo
- Maintain adequate clear space around the logo
- For press inquiries or high-resolution files, contact [email protected]
Social media & links
Press contact
For interviews, media inquiries, partnership proposals or high-resolution assets, please get in touch. We typically respond within 24 hours.
BrainGreen Foundation, Plac Konstytucji 4/17, 00-552 Warsaw, Poland, KRS: 0000964547