What makes the Gunia brothers Global Shakers?
Household and personal care products are an unexpectedly potent source of unrecycled waste: the shampoo and detergent bottles we use on a daily basis producing an estimated four million tonnes of plastic waste each year.
For Miami-based brothers Nick, Matthew and Mark, who had grown up alongside a family business that supplied such plastic-clad products, this was a fact they could no longer continue to ignore.
They became interested in reusable bottle systems that mixed water with concentrates. “Since the products you can produce this way are very limited, we set out to build a system that could blend virtually all concentrate types and fully unlock the power of mixing in reusable bottles,” the brothers write on their website.
And together, they’ve invented a machine — Cleanyst — that allows users to make their own soaps and detergents at home, avoiding the continual purchase and discarding of plastic bottles. Users simply add water to pre-prepared sachets, made from plant-based ingredients, to make their own detergent, handwash, shampoo and shower gel. The process takes between one and three minutes, and is every personalisable, as essential oils can be added to the blends.
“Although sustainability is at the heart of our mission, we’re also dedicated to giving you amazing products that are safe, effective, and customizable. With our team of R&D scientists who come from brands like L’Oreal and Revlon, we bring you thoughtful, cutting-edge formulations and the very best in plant-based ingredients.”
The idea is to both help reduce plastic waste and to save money, so the plastic bottles that come with the device can be used again and again. The product was recently successful on Kickstarter — receiving 236% of its funding — and is set to be shipped out from late 2019.
Tags: bioplastics, plastic, plastic pollution, plastic wasteLast updated: July 29, 2019
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