Exclusive Interview | Gergely Zambo, Future Leaders 2026
Gergely Zámbó is co-founder and managing director of Respray, a Hungarian cleantech start-up. Together with his partner, Andor Réti, he created the first in-store refill stations for spray products.
What made you want to pursue a career in the packaging industry?
Gergely Zámbó – It all started with frustration. Andor and I noticed that every deodorant ended up in the bin. In Hungary, these aerosols cannot be properly recycled because of residual pressure. No company had managed to enable safe refilling in shops, so we decided to develop this solution ourselves.
For me, packaging is where sustainability becomes tangible, where innovation meets consumers’ everyday lives. It was this mission that inspired us to create Respray.
What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced as a young leader in this industry?
Gergely Zámbó – Convincing established players that a 20-year-old with a prototype can change a market. For safety and regulatory reasons, the sector moves cautiously, and innovation often happens on the periphery. Gaining credibility required patience, data and concrete results. Once distributors and brands saw that refilling worked, doors opened, even if progress remains slow.
Transforming old supply chains takes time. The key is finding the right people. Some are enthusiastic, others are not.
If there was one misconception about packaging that you could change, what would it be?
Gergely Zámbó – Many people think that recycling is enough to solve our waste problem. It is essential, but it is not enough: we need to reuse more and throw away less. A refillable system not only saves materials, it transforms the life cycle of packaging. Once brands and consumers make this transition, sustainability ceases to be a compromise.
Another misconception is that reuse cannot be deployed on a large scale. This is not true: consumer behaviour has a huge impact. With the right adjustments and stakeholder involvement, real change is possible.
