More sustainable, together! EAVF and SloWays against plastic waste

The Association of the Vie Francigene and SloWays support the Refill Now sustainability project, a map of all water points along the Via Francigena.

Refill Now is a sustainable project created by an Italian start-up with a precise mission: "to revolutionize the way drinking water is consumed" by helping private companies and tourist destinations to create alternatives to reduce the consumption of bottles and plastic materials.

Starting from the Island of Elba and gradually throughout Italy, the project published a shared network of public (fountains) and private water points (hotels, bars, restaurants and partners) where walkers and citizens can fill their water bottle, reducing the consumption of plastic. The innovative part of the project is the Refill Now Map, an interactive map constantly updated (https://map.refill-now.com/#/) accessible via QR code placed on custom steel bottles. In this way you can find water points quickly and easily, without downloading an app or sharing personal data.  

Refill Now is a solution that brings together associations, cities, private companies (hotels, bars, restaurants, shops, Tour Operators) and citizens to minimize the negative impact on our planet and educate people to behave responsibly during everyday life and on vacation. By developing this project, in addition to creating a service for the community, we enhance the water resource by giving it importance; we also promote sustainable tourism, supporting all the companies in the sector that are committed to reducing their energy impact. Since the start of the project in May 2019, the consumption of plastic bottles has been reduced by about 1.5 million. The Association of the Vie Francigene shared the project with the approximately 300 reception facilities belonging to the VisitVieFrancigene network  , raising awareness among hoteliers and restaurateurs by proposing participation in the project.  SloWays has contributed to the creation of the personalized water bottles, financing the project and sensitizing walkers to the use of the water bottle and the possibility of indicating directly on the map the drinking water points not indicated.

The objectives of the project:

• Reduce the consumption of plastic bottles
• Facilitate the location of drinking water points via map
• Encouraging the development of public and private drinking water points
• Promoting sustainable tourism and responsible lifestyle

How can you participate in the Refill Now project?  Buy on the SloWays shop the stainless steel bottle of the Via Francigena equipped with QR code, share the project with your friends and help us map the water points along the way. A simple, fun and fast way to reduce plastic consumption and your impact on the environment around us. https://www.sloways.shop/en/product/via-francigena-water-bottle-refill-now/