LifeStraw: A Game-Changer For Safe Drinking Water

Problem: In 2019, the World Economic Forum found that 2.2 billion individuals, accounting for 28 percent of the global population, do not have access to safe drinking water sources. Consuming water contaminated with harmful substances can cause severe diseases and illnesses. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one child dies from a water-related illness every two minutes. 

Solution: LifeStraw is made for one person to use. LifeStraw devices (water bottles, straws, filters) use a special kind of membrane. This membrane has tiny holes that catch bacteria, parasites, microplastics, and dirt from water. These filters have very small holes that only let through clean water.

LifeStraw also makes purifiers that are even more effective. These purifiers remove the same contaminants as the filters and eliminate viruses and heavy metals, including lead. The holes in these purifiers are even smaller (0.02 microns), so they can also block out viruses.

Impact To Date: The company provides these straws for individual use in needy communities and donates larger filtration systems to underprivileged communities worldwide, supporting communal access to clean water. According to its website, the company has over 9.5 million children with a year of safe drinking water across 3,135 schools. 

Why is this Innovative? LifeStraw enables safer consumption of contaminated water, particularly in impoverished regions with limited access to water. 

What needs to improve? In a 2016 research study conducted by Amy Pickering, an engineering research associate at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, it was found that:

• half of the households surveyed reported that their filters stopped working within 24 to 36 months. 

• 35 percent said it was too slow or took too long

• 17 percent said it was blocked or not functioning

• 8 percent mentioned that it had an unpleasant taste or smell, and 7 percent believed that using the filter was not good for their health.