"Without doubt, RESILIENCE."
Martin Salter Tweet
Martin Salter is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sydney-based social impact enterprise, War On Single Use Plastic (WOSUP). Martin and long-time friend (and WOSUP Co-Founder) Karl Page were drinking beers at the footy when they found themselves sitting amid a sea of empty plastic cups. They began reusing their cups and contemplating an eco-friendly solution. WOSUP Australia was born.
By creating 100% reusable and infinitely recyclable aluminium cups and providing integrated services, complete with fan engagement technology, WOSUP offers a meaningful solution for public-facing service industries to ditch single-use plastic cups. WOSUP’s lightweight, aluminium cups are the perfect fit for major sport and entertainment venues, festivals, clubs, pubs, cinemas, hospitality and tourism attractions. What’s more, they keep drinks colder, for longer.
As eco-warriors, Martin and Karl also formed a tree planting partnership with Australia’s first carbon offset provider, Greenfleet. With every use of a WOSUP cup – collected from venues, hygienically cleaned, returned and reused, before being recycled – patrons can revel in the knowledge they’ve delivered a carbon reduction of 3kg CO₂-e.
Did you know? Aluminium stakes its claim as the most recycled material on the planet. While only 9% of all plastic ever made has been recycled, 75% of all aluminium produced remains in use.
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Table of Contents
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
Martin Salter: Without doubt, RESILIENCE. After launching WOSUP as COVID hit, I’m proud we remained focused on the end goal of making a positive difference to people and the planet.
Our business was impacted by the closure of large-scale events, meaning cancellation of trials to replace single-use plastic at sports and entertainment venues. As a result, resilience is now part of our team’s DNA.
In the past year, we’ve not only revived useability pilots, but secured Australia’s largest public trial of reusable and infinitely recyclable aluminum cups (with Stadiums Queensland) in the lead-up to the world’s first carbon-positive Summer Olympics, aka Brisbane 2032.
Quiet quitting, The Great Resignation, are an ongoing trend causing many businesses to struggle keeping talent engaged and motivated. Most are leaving because of their boss or their company culture. 82% of people feel unheard, undervalued and misunderstood in the workplace. In your experience, what keeps employees happy? And how are adapting to the current shift we see?
Martin Salter: As a startup and social impact enterprise, we carefully choose team members and partner with contractors aligned with our mission and values. We’re also blessed with experts who work on a part-time basis. We value and respect each and every member of our team… and tell them that regularly.
While being part of an organisation committed to solving one of the world’s greatest environmental challenges is rewarding, we also ensure fair and prompt payment. I have worked many years as a consultant and know how important cash flow is to a business.
Here is a two fold question: What is the book that influenced you the most and how? Please share some life lessons you learned. Now what book have you gifted the most and why?
Martin Salter: When I was 12, I was sent to boarding school – from my home in Sydney, to Geelong, in regional Victoria. I remember my father delivering the news, and giving me the novel, Tom Brown’s School Days. Truth be known, it freaked me out. The book I did read over and over at boarding school was Catch 22, set during World War II.
I loved the protagonist, Captain John Yossarian, because he was constantly innovating, pivoting, had empathy, and while his efforts to leave the war kept being rejected, he stayed the course and developed immense resilience as a result. More recently, I enjoyed reading The Dumbest Guy at the Table by Australian entrepreneur, David Shein.
His advice on hiring and rewarding passionate people, listening to their ideas – and ensuring they love what they do – is something that resonates with me… even if I’m often the dumbest guy at the table. It’s also the reason I like gifting this book to others.
Christopher Hitchens, an American journalist, is quoted as saying that “everyone has a book in them” Have you written a book? If so, please share with us details about it. If you haven’t, what book would you like to write and how would you like it to benefit the readers?
Martin Salter: I had a surreal experience over three decades ago, when I started my first venture in the 90s. Namely, a men’s fashion publication called Metropolitan Style Magazine.
I was in my early twenties and extremely naïve. While the magazine may have survived if I’d done XYZ, I inevitably ran out of money at Issue 4, and had to fold.
It was a very painful experience for me, and the people involved. To deal with the trauma and lessons learned, I began writing a manuscript. While it was cathartic, as I moved through failure and rebuilt my life, I relinquished the need to finish it.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
Martin Salter: I never switch off. If I go on holiday, I have to lock in at least two weeks because it takes me half that time to relax. My work is my passion, and something I deeply believe in, meaning I work most weekends for hours at a time and when we get busier, I’m often away many weekends.
My family is hugely supportive of what we’re trying to achieve with WOSUP. Of course, it’s hard to be away from them, but I know it needs to be done – particularly as a social impact enterprise with global ambitions to make a positive impact.
What does “success” in the year to come mean to you? It could be on a personal or business level, please share your vision.
Martin Salter: WOSUP wants to win the global war against plastic pollution.
We believe sport has a profound capacity to motivate people en masse, which is why we took an evidence-based leap of faith to create an eco-friendly solution for large-scale venues to cut plastic waste while also introducing an opportunity to reduce carbon emissions.
In the coming year, success translates into key contracts with major Australian venues committed to ESG (environmental, social and governance) principles, before taking WOSUP global.
The simple, cost-effective decision to adopt our reusable and infinitely recyclable aluminum cups – and ditch plastic alternatives – promises a very real solution in the transition to a circular economy. Cheers to a zero-waste, zero-carbon future!
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Martin Salter for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Martin Salter or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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