[Cleyx’s first news article was published on February 5th, 2023, and can be found on Medium. The release takes a deep dive into Cleyx’s purpose but also Rover’s aim to end single-use plastic waste in the personal hygiene and care industry. ]
February 5, 2023, 12:00 AM Mountain Standard Time
GILBERT, Ariz. — Cleyx LLC, an engineering and design firm focused on innovation and sustainability, based in Arizona, was founded by an environmentally conscious team with a focus on the impacts of pollution and climate change. These issues became the driving factors behind a number of inventions the company has conceived over the years and we are excited to announce that Cleyx’s first innovation to see the market will be the patent pending Rover™.
Cleyx’s founder, Mory Diané, was born in Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), and moved to the US at the age of 15. As an MBA and civil-structural engineer, with years of experience in the infrastructure industry, he has collaborated with multiple sectors including environmental protection agencies, innovative nuclear waste management, and advanced technologies for the production of carbon-free energy. However, Mory felt that he had missed one important issue which is the single-use-plastic crisis! This crisis stares us in the face daily, in our home trash bins, out on the side of the road, while taking a stroll at the park, or even on our beaches. That is the single-use plastics crisis! The question he asked himself was, how can I become part of a solution that can positively affect the entire world?
“In Africa growing up, I saw some cities struggle with how to manage their single-use plastic wastes. Then I came to the US and saw that it is a problem here as well, and in fact in many other parts of the world. This was eye-opening and really showed me how prolific this issue is,” Mory said, as he expressed his commitment to help solve this issue.
Mory Diané, CEO, 2022
Mory explained that Cleyx was created to solve several problems plaguing society today, from alleviating consumers’ pain points with common household products, to reducing issues of CO2 emissions and energy poverty through new green infrastructure projects. But first, the company will tackle the single-use plastics crisis. Plastics provide us with many benefits and the company’s philosophy is not about banning or eradicating plastics, rather, it is to create new beneficial habits and promote new positive trends that mitigate our use of plastics, to help society use plastic in a manner that is both responsible and circular.
One industry in particular that produces a lot of single-use plastics with limited alternatives for environmentally conscious consumers, is the personal care and hygiene industry which includes cosmetics. That industry can benefit from a refreshing approach to its plastic manufacturing, product sales, and use. To that end, Cleyx has set a goal to alleviate the problem by focusing its efforts on an eco-friendly solution for consumers, retailers, and manufacturers. Therefore, for the past 2 years, Cleyx has worked on a revolutionary device to shift the tides on single-use plastics pollution.
This device, the “Rover”, is a handheld refillable roll-on for multiple types of personal care products. A roll-on was ideal as a form factor because it could be engineered to accommodate different personal care products or media, even those that typically must be applied to the body by hand. Cleyx created a device that can be used with creams, powder, gel, sticks, and even oil-based products. On top of that, they updated the traditional roll-on mechanism to include a massage feature. The aim was to create an applicator that is reusable, versatile, and sanitary, all while being practical, intuitive and stylish to help solve the issue of single-use plastic containers for the personal care product market.
As we all use personal hygiene products, why not do so in a manner that does not harm the environment? With Rover, consumers can put the product of their choice such as cream deodorants in Rover’s empty compartment. The device is great for those who want to purchase sustainable personal care products and need a versatile and eco-friendly applicator. While the device is ideal for those who make their own personal care products, for a large portion of the market, it would be nonsensical to purchase a single-use personal care product, simply to transfer the content into Rover. For this reason, there needs to be a shift in the industry at large towards a refill and reuse model and Rover has a way to solve this issue through partnerships with traditional suppliers of personal care products.
Cleyx is aware of a few similar device brands on the market, but there are three main issues:
1. The brands work independently; they do not partner with personal care product suppliers so their reach is limited such that they only perform a niche purpose on the market.
2. With a business model focused on refills exclusive to their brand and limited offerings, they exclude customers who prefer other personal care products.
3. Their refills are typically made of plastics! While they reduce the impact of single-use plastics, they also contribute to the problem, because they can end up in a landfill.
Cleyx’ aim is to create a new standard as opposed to a niche. The Rover was created based on design-thinking fundamentals. It is unique because consumers can put whatever they want in it; they are not limited to a singular brand of products or cosmetics. Rover can be easily cleaned (manually or in a dishwasher/washing machine) to change the product inside whenever the user desires. The applicator is semi-automatic in that it does not require the manual actuation of a wheel to extrude the content as most conventional applicators require. Simply, roll on the device and it supplies the content, and this works even for creams, balms, and sticks, which is one of Rover’s innovative features being patented. The device is highly modular and all parts of the Rover are recyclable which promotes a closed-loop system. Further, the plan is to use biodegradable and biogenic refill cartridges that are compostable.
Rover is to be guaranteed for a lifetime, which will ensure that as a consumer’s device ages or if it ever gets damaged, it can be returned to its source of origin for proper handling and replacement. This ensures a long-term cycle of sustainability can be maintained to change the current plastic pollution situation. Mory said he hopes the invention will make consumers more conscious and convince personal care product suppliers and container/applicator manufacturers to shift away from single-use plastics. One of Cleyx’ primary goals is therefore to partner with sustainable personal care product suppliers so they can offer their products in cartridges that fit in Rover. This can help the industry make the shift to the refill and reuse model, and offer consumers their favorite brands to choose from.
Essentially, with the Rover roll-on device, customers will receive a permanent but recyclable cartridge that they can refill with products of their choice, and if they prefer subscriptions, they will be able to buy their favorite products in disposable and compostable cartridges. Rover will be the first marketable product from Cleyx and more information including pictures can be found on cleyx.com. However, the team at Cleyx is working on other innovative and sustainable engineering designs for products in other industries including an innovative process for green hydrogen production.
Cleyx aspires to help resolve critical sustainability issues plaguing our society and for several years Mory has looked for the best way to make a difference; he shared:
“We are what the future generations grow beyond; we ought to set an example for them and leave them greener pastures for a better tomorrow.”
Mory Diané, CEO, 2022
Media Contact for Cleyx: info@cleyx.com
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