# Building the Rails to Eliminate Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles with Manuela Zoninsein, CEO and Founder at Kadeya

- Show: [Hardware to Save a Planet](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet)
- Published: 2023-04-27
- Length: 48m
- Episode: 25
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-04-27-building-the-rails-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-water-bottles-with-manuela-zo
- Listen: https://podcasts.fame.so/e/5nz44r5n-manuela-zoninsein-eliminate-single-use-plastic-water-bottles

## Summary

Manuela Zoninsein, CEO and Founder of Kadeya, explains how her company is eliminating single-use plastic water bottles by deploying vending machines that wash, sanitize, and refill reusable glass and stainless steel containers on-site. She details the hardware's inspection and cleaning subsystems, the regulatory hurdles regarding capping, and the business model targeting industrial workplaces like construction sites and military bases. Zoninsein highlights that 66% of a beverage's carbon footprint comes from trucking, arguing that their localized 'liquid railroad' model reduces emissions by up to 95% compared to PET or aluminum.

## Chapters

- [0:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-04-27-building-the-rails-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-water-bottles-with-manuela-zo#t=3) Introduction and Guest Background
- [10:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-04-27-building-the-rails-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-water-bottles-with-manuela-zo#t=654) The Problem with Single-Use Plastic and Trucking
- [25:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-04-27-building-the-rails-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-water-bottles-with-manuela-zo#t=1510) Kadeya's Business Model and Go-to-Market Strategy
- [30:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-04-27-building-the-rails-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-water-bottles-with-manuela-zo#t=1851) Hardware Deep Dive: Washing, Sanitizing, and Inspection
- [36:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-04-27-building-the-rails-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-water-bottles-with-manuela-zo#t=2170) Regulatory Hurdles with Capping and Lifecycle Analysis
- [41:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-04-27-building-the-rails-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-water-bottles-with-manuela-zo#t=2461) Scaling Vision and Final Advice

## Topics

- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Kadeya (company)
- Newsweek (company)
- Boston Consulting Group (company)
- World Economic Forum (company)
- Air Force (company)
- OSHA (other)
- Climate Tech VC (company)
- Boundless Impact (other)
- PET (material)
- SBIR (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#065 - How to care about sustainability to get rid of plastic bottles (and still make a profit), with Moritz Waldstein of Mitte, Germany](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-12-19-065-how-to-care-about-sustainability-to-get-rid-of-plastic-bottles-and-still-mak) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [186 - Landfill degradable water bottles?? Kahle Wightman from Serum](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-03-29-186-landfill-degradable-water-bottles-kahle-wightman-from-serum) (People of Packaging)
- [227 - Drink Plink is a GAME CHANGER! Luke Montgomery-Smith, CEO](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-11-22-227-drink-plink-is-a-game-changer-luke-montgomery-smith-ceo) (People of Packaging)
- [S'well: Sarah Kauss](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-04-06-swell-sarah-kauss) (How I Built This)
- [40 - Santiago Navarro, CEO of Garcon Wines](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-12-08-40-santiago-navarro-ceo-of-garcon-wines) (People of Packaging)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2023-04-27-building-the-rails-to-eliminate-single-use-plastic-water-bottles-with-manuela-zo. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Hardware to Save a Planet.