Today we interview Edgar Arribas Gilabert, CEO of one of our featured startups, Fizzycaps, whose mission is to replace bottle and packaging closures that today are neither reusable nor 100% recyclable, and that are part of the linear economy, through innovation in closure systems based on the circular economy for different markets such as sparkling wines, soft drinks or beers.
What problem does your startup address and what solution does it propose?
Currently, when we open a glass bottle, we are generating waste in the form of a cap that will be very difficult to recycle in its entirety because these caps normally have several metal and plastic components.
From FIZZYCAPS, we are proposing an alternative solution. We design and develop 100% recyclable caps for closing glass bottles, allowing their recovery to be efficient. In this way, we can generate raw material from plugs already used.
How and why did you start this entrepreneurial adventure? Any advice, fruit of your experience, that you want to communicate to future entrepreneurs?
The project began focused on the sparkling wine market. At the time, it was identified that the corks used to ferment cava had some deficiencies and were very unsustainable, so we decided to turn things around by designing a 100% recyclable cork, which would make sense to recover and reconvert into raw material.
If I had to give some advice to future entrepreneurs, it would be this: surround yourself with a good team and good partners that will strengthen your project.
How do you expect the sector to evolve? And, what expectations do you have regarding your startup?
Concepts related to sustainability are the order of the day and are here to stay. What’s more, in the near future, you will either be sustainable, or you will not be. Companies are increasingly open to carrying out projects that have to do with sustainability, even creating specific departments for it.
But the most important thing, I think, will be the changes in the regulatory framework, which will force companies to take steps towards sustainability. For our part, we have high expectations regarding the markets we target, since our solution is aimed at solving problems about which there is increasing awareness.
Any news in the near future that you want to share with the rest of the startups?
We are in the last step of the development phase of our returnable closure for the manufacture of sparkling wines, and we hope to be able to officially launch it on the market at the end of the year.
In what areas would you like to collaborate with other startups, companies or other organisations?
At FIZZYCAPS, we believe that the best way to grow is “coopetition” (combination of cooperation and competition for the creation of value). Therefore, we are open to collaborating with other startups that can offer complementary solutions to ours and corporates that may need sustainable packaging solutions.