Everyone talks about sustainable development, but is it an El Dorado or a new Wild West? South by Southwest 2024, Austin’s tech festival, explored the business value of sustainable development. In this universe between awareness of the climate emergency and greenwashing, meeting with entrepreneurs who have launched into this green economy.
5 mins
Chris Kanik speaks passionately about his idea. 11 years ago, he began creating biodegradable glasses with taste imprinted on them. Yes, just add water to your Smart Cups to obtain an energy drink, a juice, a coffee, and why not also an alcoholic cocktail, or even a medicine.
At the bottom of the glass, made from plants and not petroleum, colored hexagonal pellets come from the impression of the “drink” which will dissolve on contact with water. But how is it sustainable? “ This would eliminate the storage and transportation of liquid worldwide. A truck that can carry 96 000 cans can instead carry 1.2 million stacked Smart Cups, says Chris Kanik. When I started 11 years ago, after I figured out how to print an ingredient, what surface to print it on, well, no one gave a shit. I can send to UNITED STATES5 000 energy drinks printed for 60 dollars ! Monster, Pepsi, Coke, Red Bull, no one can do that. »
An obstacle course to raise funds
Enthusiastic, Chris Kanik has nevertheless faced the reality of the financial world. “ In 2022, 9 years after meeting my only investor, I tried to raise funds. But nothing, everyone just tried to steal my concept. So I went through the Start Engine online platform, a GoFundMe for startups “.
The chemist is convinced, his glasses “ intelligent » are of the same nature as the iPods, iPads, iPhones of 15 years ago. A strange and anecdotal thing that became irreplaceable and changed the world. “ Ultimately, it’s sustainable development marketing that makes things happen. No one cared about Smart Cup until I appeared on British chef Gordon Ramsay’s show on Fox and he said to me: “Smart Cups will change the world”. At that moment, we raised $2.5 million in 24 hours. But even though I was named small business of the year and a Congressional award, I never received public assistance or was eligible for any loans. Whereas if you want to change things and take on the heavyweights of the industry, you will need a lot of money “.
Today, Smart Cups is developing its patent to print parmesan on pasta for astronauts, or water purifying tablets to respond to emergencies in particular. “ Rather than sending 24 bottles of water to a disaster area, we can send a thousand Smart Cups, to make drinking water on site in a few seconds “. His technology allows Chris Kanik to distribute free printed nutrients and medicines throughout the United States to people in need. “ Sustainable development is not just a buzzword, sustainable development is my business. And ecologically sustainable development means preserving human life and improving the quality of life. »
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“ Big companies don’t do anything anymore, they let small entrepreneurs take risks »
Another startup present at SxSW2024, Air Company captures CO2 on industrial sites before it is released into the air, liquefies it and transforms it into ethanol that can be used as jet fuel or to create alcohol. Sheehan Stafford, the co-founder of Air Company, has in his inside pocket a small bottle of carbon vodka, which is already on the market. The company has received recognition from NASA for a grant, but it hopes to attract big emitters to truly end the climate crisis. “ The challenge is to successfully bring your technology to marketexplains Sheehan Stafford. Tesla first created a luxury product, the Tesla Roadster, which allowed them to learn how to produce vehicles on a larger scale, while providing funds for mass production. This has allowed them to become the most profitable sustainable development company today and to release new models like the Tesla Cybertruck recently. “.
So sustainable development, Eldorado or Wild West? Chris Kanik has his answer. “ It must be said, big companies no longer do anything. They let small entrepreneurs take risks, and if it works, they buy them out. It happened to me, I was offered a lot of money, but in reality, they wanted to buy my technology and put it in a drawer. We are the enemies of the leaders of the beverage industry whose business relies on packaging and marketing. On the other hand, for those who focus on the drink itself, we are the future. Until big changes in support for sustainable innovations take place, it will remain a Wild West “.
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