Tibbe (28) on prestigious Forbes 30 under 30 list

When Tibbe Verschaffel (28) started experimenting with plastic-free shampoos, he couldn't get rid of them. Today, they're selling like hot cakes. It earned him a spot on Forbes' prestigious '30 under 30' list.

“In the name of Forbes, I am pleased to welcome you.” Tibbe Verschaffel could not believe his eyes when he received an email on Tuesday from the American magazine Forbes, which every year shares lists of 30 notable people under the age of thirty in various sectors and continents.

Previously, Adele, Malala Yousafzai and Daniel Ek (the founder of Spotify) were already there. This year, Verschaffel from Ghent managed to secure a spot on the European '30 under 30' list. "This is a boy's dream", says the entrepreneur.

When he was sixteen, he founded his own kickboxing club. As an industrial engineering student, Verschaffel developed bamboo bicycles. “My uncle Roland did nothing but travel the world. His apartment in Brussels was full of photos and a world map with pins showing where he had already been.” (Continue reading below the photo)

Tibbe Verschaffel with his bamboo bike — © ies

When uncle Roland told him about bamboo bikes in Vietnam that are made with harmful substances, Verschaffel decided to do better. More sustainable. He won a competition with it from Ghent University and a ticket to America where he could present his bikes again.

1,205,257 plastic bottles avoided

Three years in a row, the twenty-something organised The Village in the Waasland. A summer bar with workshops, an afternoon for seniors and a shop with plastic-free shampoo bars. “I didn’t sell any then,” the Ghent native says, laughing. “They were in a circus wagon that no one got into, it was much too hot there.”

Afterwards, Verschaffel decided to dig deeper. He discovered that the shampoo bars were shipped from China and were full of chemical junk. As with the bicycles, he decided to do better. “That’s how Planet B was born. While my fellow students were going out, I was working on my business.” (Continue reading below the photo)

Today, Planet B consists of three brands: WONDR Care (plastic-free care products), Bambooze (reusable bamboo straws) and Klaaar (sustainable wax strips). The care products are available at 400 pharmacies and two own stores, in Ghent and Antwerp. The straws and wax strips are sold in all Colruyt and Okay stores.

In total, Planet B (and mainly Wondr) was able to avoid more than 1.2 million plastic bottles. The equivalent of that, anyway, while that is a very conservative calculation. With 1 shampoo bar that is equal to 1 plastic bottle for example, although in reality that is more. In the long term, Verschaffel hopes to buy existing brands and improve them. “I want to play at the level of companies like Coca Cola and Unilever, but then with healthy, sustainable products. For them it is all about profit.”

Most proud of my team and the like-minded people who join us

Tibbe emphasized that he is most proud of his team, when we asked him how proud he is of the '30 under 30' recognition. "Without my team I am nothing, they are fantastic people who are very driven to make an impact. Just like our customers and partners are like-minded people, we all want to make the world a better place. And we have only just begun!"

The '30 under 30' list will undoubtedly open doors. "I have already received many messages from founders of other companies and potential investors. The bigger we become, the more impact we can make. I dream of a strong European base, but Ghent remains our base. This is the cleanest city there is."