From a National Geographic challenge to reuse infrastructure at national scale
Kleen Hub is a Copenhagen-based company building the operational backbone for reusable packaging. We started with a question: how do you build a reusable packaging system people actually use?
It started with bamboo, oceans and a pitch at National Geographic.
In August 2019, Robert Dichtl and two co-founders, Simone and Giuseppe, submitted an idea called Reboo (Reusable Bamboo) to the National Geographic Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge (OPIC), a global competition backed by NatGeo and Sky Ocean Ventures with a $500,000 prize purse and $1 million in investment commitments.
Reboo was a biodegradable bamboo packaging concept. Out of 291 submissions from around the world, Reboo was selected as one of 24 finalists and one of 10 in the Design Track. In December 2019, the team flew to Washington DC to pitch at National Geographic headquarters, winning $5,000 as a finalist.
The experience changed the direction. The problem was not the material. The problem was the system. Even the best reusable container fails if customers do not return it. And customers do not return it when the process involves downloading an app, paying a deposit, or remembering to bring it back.
The team returned to Copenhagen and founded Kleen Hub in 2020. The first version was app-based, expanding to around 150 cafe locations across Copenhagen and Aarhus. When COVID hit, the original plan to work with festivals pivoted to takeaway services.
2023 — A world first
Then came the breakthrough: Tap&Reuse. A world first in reusable packaging adoption — no app, no deposit, just a card tap. Customers simply tap their existing payment card and the container is linked automatically. No download, no new behaviour. Return rates jumped to 98%+.
Today Kleen Hub operates reuse infrastructure for brands including National Trust, Sodexo, Compass Group, Starbucks and Costa Coffee, with deployments across the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Norway.
Trusted across retail, hospitality, education and food service.
United Kingdom
National Trust
4 sites live with 14 MMC units, scaling to 61 locations
Chichester University
6 locations including Costa Coffee and Starbucks campus outlets
Kingston University
3 campus locations
Sodexo UK
Multiple UK locations
EDF UK
1 location
British Library
London
Harwell Campus
Science and innovation campus, 2 locations
Compass Group UK
2 locations
Norway
DnB Corporate
Corporate canteen via Sodexo Norway
Ireland
Tirlan
2 corporate locations
Waitrose
Previously deployed across 10 Waitrose locations via Circular&Co with strong performance metrics. Programme paused due to budget reallocation. Contact us for the full case study.
Small team. Big infrastructure.
Started Kleen Hub in 2019 after becoming a finalist in the National Geographic Ocean Plastic Innovation Challenge. Built the company from a bamboo packaging concept into a full-stack reuse infrastructure platform, scaling from 150 cafe locations in Copenhagen and Aarhus to national deployments with brands like National Trust and Sodexo.
Danish American technologist with multiple previous exits. Oversees the infrastructure and product rebuild, including the MMC hardware, payment tokenization system, and operator dashboard.
First dedicated sales hire. Leads commercial relationships across the UK and Europe, managing the pipeline from National Trust to new verticals like corporate canteens and stadiums.
Core developer on the Kleen Hub platform.
Applebys Plads 7
Kleen Hub is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with deployments across the UK, Ireland, and Northern Europe.
Go live in four weeks
Book a 20-minute call with Tristan. He will walk you through pricing, integration and what go-live looks like for your locations.
Or email tristan@kleenhub.com