Q&A with Peter Shaw – Managing Director at Salvalco

Peter Shaw is Managing Director at Salvalco, creators of the innovative Eco-Valve technology. Here he tells us about his role, how the business is launching the pioneering technology across the aerosol industry and why its unique technology and environmental benefit is generating widespread interest across the globe.

Tell us a bit about your role and responsibilities at Salvalco
Salvalco is an ethical start-up tech company. With involvement in lots of areas of the business, it means taking a flexible approach to responsibilities. As such I wear many hats but  primarily I’m accountable for the running and success of the company. Day to day I am very hands on with all aspects of the business. From sales, marketing to technical engineering, no two days are ever the same. Variety is the spice of life as they say!

The Eco-Valve technology is incredibly unique. What is it specifically about the valve that you value and in what ways do you feel it will support the aerosol industry?
I have been in the packaging industry a long time and consequently seen a lot of great things! However, what attracted me to the Eco-Valve technology was the fact it was born from a scientific approach of solving the problem of achieving a good aerosol spray with inert gases. We must all strive towards a circular economy and clean living and I firmly believe that the Eco-Valve has a very important part to play in encouraging consumers to accept aerosols without hydrocarbons!

What does a typical day in the “office” look like and what do you like most about working at Salvalco?
In the new ‘Coronavirus world’ unfortunately our small team are not in the office together as frequently as before. Like the rest of the world, we are adjusting to using new technology such as video calls to support our remote working. Of course, not being able to see potential customers face to face is a real challenge, particularly given that our Eco-Valve technology is one you really need to ‘experience, see and feel’ to understand just how great the spray is.

Eco-Valve has generated widespread interest from big name investors including Beiersdorf and Foresight Williams.  What does it mean to have this financial support and what will the funding be used for?
It is great to have the financial security that funding brings in these uncertain times, but the interest from a large brand owner such as Beiersdorf also means they have a desire to use the Eco-Valve in the market to bring added value to their brands and ultimately the end consumer. Having this level of buy in from such a big name is incredibly rewarding.

Going forward, our intention is to further develop and promote the Eco-Valve technology. However, we won’t stop there as we have lots of other great aerosol valve ideas to realise and bring to market. We will also be investing more in R&D and tooling amongst other areas.

Having Foresight Williams on board is a great asset too. They will continue to support us with their business experience and the great team at Williams Advance Engineering will continue to give us guidance on a number of technical topics.

During your time at Salvalco, what’s been your career highlight to date and which projects/ initiatives have you been most proud of and why?
I’ve only been with the company 18 months now, but to date, it has to be the collaboration and onboarding with Beiersdorf. They are very committed to the technology and have the same vision for Eco-Valve as the team at Salvalco. We are a very small team so to have a partnership with a global brand leader is hugely satisfying.

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on business globally. What do you feel are the main challenges for the aerosol industry going forward and how has Salvalco adapted in this climate?
The packaging industry like many other industries has suffered greatly due to the pandemic. Fundamentally, I firmly believe that one of the impacts of the pandemic is that consumers are much more aware of their health and wellbeing and that clean air and concerns for the future of our climate and planet are just as important now as before Covid19. Of course, we all need to navigate through the business and economic challenges, but in the end, consumers are demanding more sustainable products. And Eco-Valve has an important part to play in this macro trend.

What’s next for Salvalco? What exciting plans do you have for the business in the next 12 months?
We had several projects delayed going to market this year following the pandemic but I’m pleased to report that customers are returning and I’m looking forward to seeing more Eco-Valve aerosol market references in the shops and online as we go into 2021.