RefresherBoxx, a German startup that refreshes footwear without water or detergent, already serves markets abroad and Bali’s padel clubs. Its inventor sees a bigger opportunity in European retail: turning waiting time into an added service.
Brick-and-mortar sporting goods retailers have spent years searching for services that e-commerce cannot easily replicate. Product expertise alone is no longer enough. Increasingly, service has become a key competitive differentiator, especially when it allows retailers to make sustainability tangible instead of simply talking about it.
Repair has already become an established pillar of sustainability strategies across the sporting goods industry. Product durability is another topic receiving significant attention. Yet one important question has received far less consideration: How can products remain in use longer without consuming additional water, chemicals, or other valuable resources?
This is precisely where RefresherBoxx, developed by Sing-Hong Stefan Chang, enters the conversation. Through his company, Infinity Startup GmbH, Chang has developed a technology that hygienically refreshes footwear, apparel, and sports equipment without using water or detergents. The entire system is designed and manufactured in Germany, with the complete value chain remaining domestic.
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The concept proved innovative enough to earn Chang the Gamechanger Award at the MoveBeyond Startup Awards during Retail Beats, the ANWR Future Festival of Retail 2026.
“The RefresherBoxx originally started as a hobby project to refresh my own running shoes,” Chang explains. “It was only after receiving growing media attention and customer inquiries that we decided to establish the company in 2018. Since then, we’ve gradually evolved into a small company serving customers internationally.” Today, RefresherBoxx is already operating in a number of international markets.
Its greatest opportunity, however, may lie much closer to home: the European sporting goods retail industry. Not in cleaning. In service.
Service becomes part of the product experience
Physical retail no longer sells products alone. It sells expertise. It sells trust. It sells experiences. This is where RefresherBoxx presents an intriguing opportunity.
Imagine a customer visiting a specialty running store for a gait analysis. While the analysis is being carried out, the customer’s existing running shoes are hygienically refreshed at the same time. Consultation and service happen simultaneously, transforming unavoidable waiting time into added customer value.
The result is a retail experience that extends beyond the product purchase itself.
Sustainability starts long before recycling
Another aspect deserves attention. Much of today’s sustainability debate focuses on what happens after a product reaches the end of its life. RefresherBoxx addresses a much earlier stage in the product lifecycle. Every conventional wash cycle consumes water, requires detergents, and generates wastewater. Washing also contributes to the release of microfibers and polymers into aquatic ecosystems. RefresherBoxx eliminates both water and chemical detergents from the process. From this perspective, sustainability does not begin with recycling. It begins while the product is still in active use.
Rental 2.0
The technology becomes even more compelling in environments where products are used intensively and need to be turned around quickly.
One example can already be found in Bali, where padel clubs are currently being equipped with RefresherBoxx systems.
In Europe, however, the most promising opportunity may lie in the rental business. Winter sports provide an obvious application. Rental operators process ski boots, helmets, gloves, jackets, and pants every day, often under tight turnaround times. Similar challenges exist in other industries, including healthcare, where rental garments must be prepared efficiently while meeting increasingly stringent hygiene standards.
A water-free treatment process has the potential to streamline operations while reducing resource consumption.
As rental continues to grow across winter sports and outdoor recreation, this application could become increasingly relevant for retailers looking to combine operational efficiency with sustainability.
More than a machine
Behind RefresherBoxx is a sophisticated technology. According to the company, microorganisms are inactivated through a combination of physical processes, including electromagnetic radiation, thermal effects, mechanical forces, and dynamic pressure differentials. Laboratory testing conducted in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute and other certified laboratories has demonstrated the system’s effectiveness.
For sporting goods retailers, however, the more interesting question may not be how the technology works. The real question is what new services it enables? The greatest innovation may lie less in the machine itself than in the customer experiences and business models it makes possible.
From selling products to delivering product care
This may ultimately be the larger story. Sporting goods retailers are gradually evolving from product sellers into partners throughout the entire product lifecycle.
Consultation. Repair. Rental. Second-hand. Maintenance. Service. Product Care naturally fits within this broader evolution.
Rather than focusing solely on the point of sale, it extends the relationship between retailer and customer beyond the initial purchase. It transforms product maintenance into an additional service that has the potential to strengthen customer loyalty, extend product life, and make sustainability visible through everyday retail experiences.
Whether Product Care will emerge as a stand-alone business model remains to be seen.
Regardless of how the market develops, RefresherBoxx is already highlighting an important strategic question for the sporting goods industry: If extending product life becomes the new benchmark, is selling the product still enough, or will the next competitive advantage begin after the sale?
