Once upon a time in 1990, back when mobile phones were the size of bricks and the internet was still in its infancy, a small, round, green dot was born in Germany to take on the growing mountains of packaging waste. It invented the principle of the "dual system" and revolutionised the way we think about waste: not as rubbish, but as a valuable resource.
Nearly four decades and a strict German Packaging Act (VerpackG) later, the Green Dot has grown up - and we're officially part of its success story!
When you click the logo in our footer, you land right here, on our dedicated "Green Dot" page. Without any dusty legalese, we'll show you how we're closing the resource loop together with Der Grüne Punkt - Duales System Deutschland GmbH, and why your new sparkling water maker in its perfectly put-together set is the ultimate dream team for the environment. Behind our sparkling water makers and carefully assembled sets is the vision of flav&.
At a Glance: What the Programme Actually Does
You want freshly carbonated water, stylish bottles in a set, and absolutely zero guilty conscience? We completely get it. These days, sustainability only really works if everything around it holds up too. That's exactly why we don't leave packaging recycling to chance - we take a strategic approach. We've officially joined the dual system in Germany. We don't just want to eliminate plastic bottles from your everyday life; we also take full responsibility for every single piece of packaging we send out on its journey to you.
Before we get into the details, here's exactly what this circular programme changes:
| Process step | Before (single-use mentality) | Now (Green Dot programme) |
|---|---|---|
| Package shipping | Unlicensed boxes with no recycling guarantee | 100% registered and funded circular packaging |
| Material use | Raw materials often end up incinerated | Plastics can be processed into high-quality recyclates, for example products like Systalen® |
| Legal certainty | Grey areas in e-commerce | Full compliance with the German Packaging Act (VerpackG) |
| Your impact | Hauling crates, deposit returns, and mountains of plastic | Just carbonate cordlessly, drop the box in the paper bin, and you're done |
Why the Partnership Between flav& and the Green Dot Is a "Match Made in Heaven"
Every time a new sparkling water set or CO₂ cylinder from flav& arrives at your door, there's a carefully designed, legally compliant system behind it, built around the German Packaging Act (VerpackG). We don't treat sustainability as a marketing sticker - we treat it as an ongoing process. Our programme rests on three concrete pillars that fit together seamlessly.
1. Full System Participation (VerpackG)
In Germany, the Packaging Act holds every online retailer accountable. If you put packaging into circulation that eventually ends up in a consumer's bin, you have to pay for its proper disposal.
- Full transparency: As a responsible brand, flav& is officially registered in the LUCID packaging register run by Germany's Central Packaging Register Agency (ZSVR).
- Funded circular systems: For every piece of packaging we put into circulation, we pay the legally required system participation fees through our partner Der Grüne Punkt.
- Real raw material rescue: These fees help fund the collection, sorting, and recovery of packaging within the dual system. Thanks to separate collection, materials can be fed back into the recycling loop and reused as secondary raw materials.
2. Design4Recycling (D4R)
It's not enough to just register packaging - it also has to be recyclable. With our shipping solutions, we're meticulous about avoiding composite materials. A clean cardboard box breaks down extremely easily in paper recycling and gets turned into new paper fibres. We keep plastic use down to the absolute minimum needed to safely transport your carbonator's PET bottles.
3. Digital Awareness
By clicking our footer badge, you've become part of this programme. We want to create transparency and show that modern e-commerce can take responsibility without sacrificing your convenience.
Quick Guide: How to Sort Your Waste Correctly
For recycling to be a genuine success, correct sorting at home is what counts. Here's your ultra-short guide to the components you receive:
- 📦 The shipping box & inlays (cardboard/paper): The large outer box and all the protective cardboard dividers should be flattened and go straight into the paper recycling bin.
- 🛡️ Protective films & bags (plastic): Clear plastic sleeves protecting accessories or bottle caps from scratches go into your plastics/mixed recycling bin.
- 🫧 The protective cages on the CO₂ cylinders (plastic): The small plastic nets or caps securing the cylinder valve also belong in your plastics recycling bin.
- 🔄 The CO₂ cylinder itself (reusable): Careful - the cylinder itself never goes in the bin! Simply collect 8 empty CO₂ Fizz Cans in the original box and send them back to us by post with our free return label. We never refill cylinders. You'll always receive fresh, safety-inspected, 100% recyclable cylinders in return.
Your Package's Journey: How the Loop Closes
For this sustainable programme to reach its full potential, it takes perfect teamwork between us, you, and the sorting facilities. When your order arrives, sorting the materials is straightforward: the box goes into paper recycling, and any protective film for accessories or bottles from your sets goes into your plastics recycling bin.
From there, the Green Dot's dual system takes over: in state-of-the-art sorting facilities, recyclable materials are separated fully automatically using infrared technology. The sorted plastics are turned into high-quality secondary raw materials - so-called recyclates. These replace virgin plastic (crude oil) in industry and save enormous amounts of CO₂.
Why Our flav& Sparkling Water Maker Is the Perfect Sustainable Complement
Recycling packaging is good - not creating waste in the first place is even better. Our sparkling water maker tackles the problem right at the source. Instead of trucking tonnes of heavy water crates or single-use plastic bottles across the country, you simply use the tap water you already have at home.
Whether you go for the starter set, the Fizz Kit, or one of our expanded sets with extra bottles: the annoying mountains of plastic disappear for good. Less transport weight on the roads means less CO₂ emitted, and noticeably more comfort and convenience in your everyday life. Combine that with the savings factor, and you've got a genuinely magical combination.
The Online Label in Our Footer: Our Promise to You
Next time you're scrolling through our shop and spot the Green Dot logo, you'll know exactly what's behind it: a thoughtfully designed programme for a cleaner environment, maximum transparency, and strict compliance with every environmental regulation. Sustainability isn't a project with an end date. It's the decision of how we shape our planet's future. Every day, we face the same choice: do we consume at the planet's expense, or do we find ways to protect the resources we have left?
Plastic waste and resource waste are two of the biggest challenges of our generation. When we simply burn raw materials, we're stealing them from the future. That's exactly why, at flav&, it's not enough for us to just sell a product. We want to be part of the solution. No greenwashing - just real circular economy that actually works, for more comfort, less waste, and a future that's absolutely fizzing with promise!
And They All Fizzed Happily Ever After...
Sometimes the biggest changes start with the smallest decisions. A sparkling water maker here, a recycled package there - and suddenly, lots of small steps add up to one big loop.
And so the circle closes, just like the resource loop itself. That tiny green dot from 1990 grew into a movement that shows: packaging can become new raw materials, responsibility can become real change - and tap water can become wonderfully fizzy enjoyment.
With our take-back system for CO₂ cylinders and our commitment to packaging recycling, we're making an active contribution to the circular economy and making sustainable sparkling water enjoyment even easier. So next time you enjoy a glass of sparkling water or unpack a new flav& set, remember: sustainability doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes it's simply hiding in the small things of everyday life. All's well that ends fresh!
FAQ
Do I have to pay extra to dispose of flav& packaging?
No, absolutely not! We've already covered the full cost of collecting, sorting, and recovering all shipping and product packaging on your behalf. Through our official system participation with gruener-punkt.de, we pay the legally required licence fees in advance for every set we put into circulation. For you, disposal via paper recycling and the dual system (plastics/mixed recycling bin) is completely free.
What's so different about flav&'s cylinder cans?
With flav&, the whole thing runs completely stress-free. With our free return system, you can send your empty CO₂ Fizz Cans back to us conveniently by post. Join our recycling loop, and here's what's worth knowing:
- Zero deposit, zero hassle: No deposit required. You'll never have to deal with annoying deposit receipts or supermarket checkout hassle again.
- Easy swap by post: Forget hauling cylinders to some dusty drop-off point. Just collect your empty cylinders and send them back to us free of charge by post.
- Always fresh: No unsafe manual refilling. Every time, you'll receive perfectly cleaned, inspected, and freshly sealed CO₂ Fizz Cans.
- More power per cylinder: A generous 450g of CO₂ per bottle gives you extra-long freshness for over 75 litres of perfectly carbonated water - more than standard cylinders from other providers (depending on use).
- 100% sustainable loop: The aluminium in the cylinders is fully recyclable and stays permanently within our closed-loop system thanks to our return scheme.
How do I know flav& genuinely complies with the Packaging Act (VerpackG)?
Transparency is our top priority. We fully meet every legal requirement under Germany's Packaging Act. flav& is officially registered in the public LUCID packaging register run by Germany's Central Packaging Register Agency (ZSVR). The Green Dot logo reflects our participation in the dual system for packaging recycling and underlines our commitment to legally compliant packaging solutions.
What happens if I don't sort my sparkling water maker's packaging correctly?
If cardboard ends up in the plastics bin, or plastic film ends up in paper recycling, the high-tech sorting facilities of "Der Grüne Punkt - Duales System Deutschland GmbH" can't properly detect the materials. In the worst case, these valuable resources can't be turned into new raw materials and have to be incinerated instead. A few seconds of sorting at home actively helps lower CO₂ emissions.
Does the empty CO₂ cylinder from the set also go in the plastics bin?
Definitely not! The CO₂ cylinder from your flav& set is a purely reusable product. Once you've emptied 8 cylinder cans, just request a free return label on our website. And off it goes in the post.
About flav&soda: flav&soda is a home carbonation brand based in Malta, sold across Europe. The Fizz Kit is the entry product - a cordless sparkling water maker with a BPA-free, reusable Fizz Bottle and a free cylinder return & recycle scheme, available in 7 colours. Learn more →
