A new session of the Girbau LAB Innovators Club with Emil Vestman, Co-founder and Chief Design Officer at Mimbly.
The session focused on Mimbly’s journey and the Mimbox — starting a company around an environmental issue with only a product idea and no technology in place. From that starting point, the talk explored how both the business and the product evolved in response to the environmental challenges of water stress and microplastics, iterating on the business model and technologies while developing cost-intensive hardware innovation as an externally funded startup.
A very interesting and inspiring session that we shared in an interview format.
1. Mimbly was born out of a very specific environmental challenge. What was the moment or realization that made you see this problem as a real opportunity for innovation?
It was when we saw how hotels, in particular, use excessive amounts of water when washing seemingly clean fabrics over and over again. We thought there must be a way to reuse this water – and that’s when the idea of the Mimbox was born.
2. When you started, you didn’t yet have the technology or the product defined. What were the first steps in turning an idea into a tangible solution?
The first steps included conceptualizing how a final product for this problem could look — in terms of size and form factor – so that it could be retrofitted into spaces where laundry machines typically are. This happened in parallel with developing and testing basic functions, such as pumping water to a washing machine instead of relying on tap pressure.
Emptying the microplastics from our washers will be as natural as emptying the lint from our dryers.
3. Your project connects design, technology, and sustainability. How do you ensure these three pillars evolve together throughout the development process?
Since our entire company vision is so closely tied to sustainability, that becomes one of the most important requirements for our products to fulfill. From there, technology and design go hand in hand to create solutions that make sense for the end user. One of the benefits of being a small company is that we work very closely together – and that really blurs the lines between design and technology.
4. You place the environment at the center of your work. Do you believe sustainability can be a business driver on its own, or does it still need to be justified through other benefits?
Yes, I think it can be. But it’s crucial to communicate sustainability in a relatable and tangible way in order for it to drive business on its own. And of course, regulations also play an important role.
5. Looking ahead, what is your vision for Mimbly and for the impact that products like the Mimbox can have on people and the planet?
Our vision is to become an enabler for other companies that care about the same issues we do, by creating collaborations that help spread our solution to a wider market. Through that, we hope to raise awareness about water scarcity and broaden the understanding of water – not only as drinking or salt water, but as a complex resource that can be used in many ways depending on the desired outcome.
6. And finally, looking into 2040, how do you imagine we’ll be washing our clothes?
In 2040, I imagine washing will be more adaptive – machines will make more of the decisions to achieve the desired outcome using just enough water and chemicals. Emptying microplastics from our washers will be as natural as emptying the lint from our dryers.
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