To reduce plastic consumption, Solubag reels in Shark Tank investor

Contxto – Garbage litters the streets, oceans, and landfills. As a result, governments are steadily banning the consumption of single-use plastic. Though sometimes it cannot be avoided: Would you tell a doctor treating Covid patients not to wear an N95 mask because it’s bad for the environment?

In light of this conundrum, Chilean Solubag and its dissolvable, eco-friendly plastic substitute will come with greater force into the US market soon.

Alongside Kevin Harrington—the dude who invented the modern infomercial and Shark Tank panelist—who owns a 40 percent stake in Solubag, plastic consumption in the US is in for an eco-friendly awakening.

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Solubag: Saving the planet one plastic bag at a time

Researchers and co-Founders Roberto Astete and Cristián Olivares developed an alternative material for bags and other plastics.

The formula they’ve created uses polyvinyl alcohol that dissolves in water as their chemical base. And unlike traditional plastic, their product doesn’t use oil derivatives which, according to Solubag, ensures the bag shall degrade over time.

Through these chemical tweaks, the entrepreneurs came up with an alternative that is biodegradable and can reportedly dissolve in water within five minutes, as opposed to the hundreds of years it takes to dissolve normal plastic. 

More recently, with the Covid-19 outbreak, the startup developed new products like face masks and gloves. That way, users don’t have to be strongarmed into choosing between their personal health and their ideals.

Luring in a shark

What brought the Shark Tank member on board? Co-Founder, Cristián Olivares, has the answer.

“He liked that it was a product for mass consumption with a lot of potential and just as plastic bags are being banned,” says Olivares.

But if you ask me, I think Olivares was just being modest. Harrington sounded thrilled with the project in a press release.

“I am excited to join the Solubag team to deliver this groundbreaking technology for the benefit of our planet. This technology is simply amazing. Dissolving a bag in water before my eyes was enough to convince me that this has applications to so many products and industries,” said the entrepreneur/investor.

Accordingly, Solubag is busy opening offices in the US and should begin selling its products within six months.

Related articles: Tech and startups from Chile!

-ML