In this episode of Raising the Circle, we meet Robert Dichtl, CEO & co-founder of Kleen Hub - Tap & Reuse™: a return system that works without an app or deposit.
How does it work? Borrow a cup or container, tap your card, and drop it back when you’re done. From supermarkets in the UK to airports in Norway and pilots like Brussels Airport, KleenHub is quietly replacing single-use with a system designed for speed, simplicity, and scale.
We discuss Robert’s path from e-waste research to reuse tech, the hard pivots that killed their original app, and the insight that convenience wins and the learning that when you make reuse as easy as trashing your cup, people switch.
Together we dive into three big themes:
From product to platform – why KleenHub ditched deposits and apps for an RFID “Tap & Reuse™” system, the Magic Counter that reads multiple items at once, and white-label tech any brand can use
Designing for real-world scale – lessons from Copenhagen cafés to Brazilian stadiums, why “network effects” were overrated, why closed loops (universities, offices, venues) outperform street cafes, and how frictionless returns unlock adoption
Data, guts, and leadership – pairing usage data with intuition, surviving near-miss fundraising moments, hiring a seasoned CTO to level up the stack, and a call to leaders to use their decision making power
This is a story about replacing throwaway culture with tap-and-go circularity and how smart design can make the sustainable choice more convenient.
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🎙️Created and hosted by Solveiga Jur
📸Photography magic by Ingmar Bötker
🎬Video editing by the versatile Sandra Linne
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#CircularEconomy #ReusablePackaging #Innovation #TechForGood #Entrepreneurship
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