Green Success Stories puts Kiran Mali of FlipWash in the Green Spotlight. FlipWash presents an eco-friendly, investor-friendly, sustainable solution for car washes, using a wax-based cleaning solution instead of wasting water, at locations directly where consumers are anyways (e.g., parking garages). We discussed the evolution of the FlipWash solution, its benefits to the environment and to the consumer, and their hope for expansion and growth.
Tell us a bit about your sustainability journey.
One of our founders had started working in a conventional water-based car wash center for about 5 years and new type of car wash systems were evolving, like steam-based, foam spray etc. Those systems are very energy intensive and prone to generate a lot of waste. He felt the need to have a unique, eco friendly car wash service, one that was still equally effective. He conceptualized the idea of using waxes and avoiding water as much as possible. He has had first-hand experience working in the car wash industry and he always felt the need to excel in customer services as well as improve the business model’s viability. Concerned with providing a better experience for car wash customers, he also considered the design of the spaces, ensuring they were presentable, clean, and welcoming, breaking with an established idea within this industry. That’s how FlipWash came about.
FlipWash is based on the concepts of design, sustainability, and offering high-quality services. So on one side, our founder had proposed a wax-based car cleaning solution, on the other hand he focused on reducing investments, and addressing the demand risk. So he proposed a compact setup serving where customers are coming to anyways, as opposed to waiting for customers to come to the standalone car wash center.
When he started to contemplate franchising this model, the first franchisee later on took up the responsibility of growing the company as an active partner and managing the e-commerce (FlipWash used to sell the products to their franchisees through its website). And he was recognized as a co-founder.
And later Paulo, joined the company, also as a franchisee and became a partner to take care of the company’s marketing. After one year in the company he was responsible to take the company to the US.
Paula has been instrumental in the development of new centers, negotiating with the property owners, tapping the right talent to be the operators for the car wash centers, not only in Brazil but also in the USA. He have been in the USA for 6 years across the North East and Southern part and played a key role in establishing the car wash centers. The company’s flagship center in Miami has been looked after from concept to implementation by me.
In the United States, Charan and myself were integrated into the company to help develop new markets and structure growth through the franchise model.
Tell us a bit about the product or solution you offer.
Customers need to spend a couple of hours setting out of their home to visit a stand-alone car wash center. We, on the other hand, service their needs when they are doing other work – shopping, office, dining or watching movies. We do this right there, where they parked their car – inside the garage of a mall or office building. All of this with a quality higher than the market average.
Our range of services include almost waterless eco friendly car care at various price points – We charge an average $35 USD for a basic in and out car wash, and upwards of up to $999 USD for ceramic coating.
Share a green success story with us – how have you helped customers or other businesses in the fight against climate change?
We set up a center inside the parking area of a mall and attracted customers. Customers now didn’t have to do empty trips to and from standalone car washing centers and thereby add to the climate crisis.
We don’t use water for car cleaning – hence there is no need to consume that precious resource. Even for those few car wash centers that recycle the water – that is an energy and resources intensive process which has ramifications on the climate crisis. We don’t use water and avoid all those pain points of climate change.
Our customers no longer need to drive specifically to a car wash, as we are conveniently located in places where their cars are already parked. This approach reduces traffic congestion and eliminates the need for idling in lines, which wastes fuel. By implementing these solutions nationwide, we can drastically reduce carbon emissions. Additionally, our innovative washing operations save millions of gallons of water each year, contributing significantly to environmental sustainability.
From the business model sustainability perspective, this results in our centers not waiting for customers to make a purpose driven trip to the car wash center. Hence, our demand risk is much lower.
Our investment requirements are also much lower than the rest of the industry and hence there is a lower capital recovery factor. We offer extensive training and support to our franchisees and promote entrepreneurship – we even encourage first time entrepreneurs by empowering them economically.
What would you do with $1 billion dollars?
The USA has an estimated 280 million cars and trucks which translates to about 2 billion car washes per year.
At the average water consumption rate of 50 gallons per car wash the industry is consuming (and partly recycling at high cost and energy demands) about 100 billion gallons of water per annum (assuming one car is getting a wash 7 times a year.)
We would like to address that waste of natural resources and also save on the further recycling costs, by setting up eco-friendly waterless car wash centers.
Our average set up cost per center is $150,000. With $1B, we would set up at least 5000-7500 centers across North America and save water, generate employment/entrepreneurship and develop local community initiatives.
We could also be able to take part in social actions around the world with programs such as 1 by 1. 1 gallon of water saved in our operations would be 1 gallon of water donated to institutions and organizations that work for water.
This investment has potential to have a payback period of as early as a couple of years. That’s apart from being positive in regards to the climate and social outcomes.
What do you envision your industry looking like in ten years?
Today washing your car is a luxury, and washing with water is a privilege.
10 years down the line water would be prohibited to be used for the car washing.
More eco-friendly chemical solutions would be invented to clean the car.
The industry would be almost entirely a waterless, compact, price sensitive car care industry.
Large facilities and lots of land and high investments in construction would no longer be necessary to host car wash operations, as the FlipWash model would allow the spread and offering of car cleaning services in underutilized and more convenient spaces such as building garages in urban centers and large retail parking lots in general.
What would you like readers to take away from this article?
We wanted to highlight the social and environmental implication of the routine car washing they do in their lives. Readers can suggest our business model not only to car owners who can be our customers, but also to their friends and families looking to start their first business and be our franchisee.
And I think the most important thing would be to generate a change in mentality regarding the use of car wash services and the way people consume them and don’t think about them.
How should readers get in touch with you and/or your organization?
Kudos
Many thanks to Kiran Mali and FlipWash. Green Success Stories is happy to support and highlight your efforts! We invite you the reader to do the same.
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