Image credits: Aquablu
Plastic waste is a growing concern! In the last 50 years, the production of plastic has increased, due to the widespread use of inexpensive disposable products.
As per the report, one million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute, while 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide each year. Plastic pollution is simply a side effect of our way of living and consuming.
Recently, the winners of the 2021 Future Hamburg Award were announced.
Meet Aquablu
Based in Amsterdam, Aquablu, a startup founded in 2016 by two young entrepreneurs Marnix Stokvis and Marc van Zuylen, aims to eliminate the need for plastic waste, wastewater, and carbon dioxide emissions.
The co-founders got the idea of Aquablu from personal experiences involving clean water shortages. They believed that no one should ever have to rely on plastic bottles for safe drinking water.
The startup is on a mission to provide safe and clean drinking water for everyone – without using PET bottles. The company has built a smart purification system for the consumer market, which can guarantee the quality of drinking water.
Recently, the company launched Aquablu Refill, a smart product that can turn tap water into pure and natural mineral water.
“This product has been designed to tackle the global plastic issue at the source, going one step further than the proposed EU legislation,” says the company in a release.
Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive
It’s worth noting that on July 3, 2021, the EU’s Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive came into force. This directive was adopted in June 2019. According to the EU, the aim of this directive is “to prevent and reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, in particular the aquatic environment, and on human health, as well as to promote the transition to a circular economy with innovative and sustainable business models, products and materials.”
From 1 July 2021, the Netherlands joined other EU countries by introducing a deposit on small plastic bottles in order to reduce plastic (litter) waste. According to Dutch Government’s website, a 15 cent deposit has been added to each small bottle (< 1 litre). The deposit on larger bottles (> 1 litre) has been fixed at 25 cents.
With this directive, the EU aims at a 77 per cent separate collection target for plastic bottles by 2025 – increasing to 90 per cent by 2029.
However, according to the founders of Aquablu, “Deposits on plastic bottles show make-believe sustainability. It helps to make people more aware of the use of plastic bottles, but realistically, it only moves the problem.”
“Trying to empty the ocean with a bucket”, says Marnix Stokvis (25), founder and CEO of Aquablu in a press release.
“In our view, the government’s solution only solves a very small part of the larger problem. Let’s say producers switch from plastic to, for example, cardboard packaging. The mountain of trash remains, only the composition changes.” The solution? “Bottled water must be ended,” adds Marc van Zuylen (25), co-founder at Aquablu.
The duo believes that in order to make a lasting sustainable impact, we need to get rid of single-use packaging. That’s why they launched Aquablu Refill.
How does Aquablu Refill work?
According to the company, Aquablu Refill uses the latest supreme osmosis technology, which removes all potentially harmful substances from tap water.
Explaining the supreme osmosis technology to Silicon Canals, Marnix Stokvis, co-founder of AquaBlu says, “Supreme Osmosis technology is a combination of our highly efficient membrane flat sheet (based on RO), the possibility for users to adjust the degree of filtration and our real-time smart quality monitoring. Our technology saves more water compared to standard RO and brings transparency to the filter state and lifetime.”
The company’s technology constantly monitors the quality of the water and can be installed anywhere.
Talking about de-incentivising people from using plastic bottles to fill up at the Refill point, Stokvis shares, “Availability is key. We need to make sure that refill points won’t lose from the convenience of buying plastic water bottles. Having a deposit on small bottles already makes it a less interesting proposition to sell, as it often also requires the vendor to take in used bottles. On top of that is the issue with the increased selling price, especially since the price of water at a refill point is already significantly lower (not paying for the plastic packaging, storage, and transport).”
Availability, and Pricing
Notably, Dutch retail chain Jumbo will have the exclusive premiere in their Amsterdam store in the coming week. The Dutch startup also partnered with coffee suppliers MAAS coffee, to offer office workers sustainable and healthier mineral water.
This implementation of water purification will allow retailers to minimise the sale of single-use plastics. About the Aquablu Refill points availability, Stokvis notes, “We will launch more Aquablu Refill points from September onwards in cities across the Benelux.”
Customers can tap 600ml of fizzy or still water, starting from €0.40 at selected locations. For those who come to the store without their bottle, Aquablu offers aluminium design bottles directly on location for €2.49.
WRAS compliant
The Dutch company is compliant with the WRAS (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme) certification mark. “All parts that come into contact with water are food grade and certified to the highest drinking water standards (WRAS/NSF). Our refill points are even fitted with smart UV outputs that take away any possibility for bacterial contamination from the in-or outside,” says Stokvis.
Right now, the company employs around 12 people and plans to double the team in the coming years.
In terms of funding, AquaBlu is bootstrapped to date, however, the company has plans for the near future. Regarding this, Stokvis clarifies “Possibly. Not yet necessary as we are able to fund our business from the sale of products and the initial investment.”
Bootstrapped and growing
Besides Aquablu Refill, the company also sells purifiers — Aquablu One and Aquablu Pro, and water softeners that remove limescale from water and prevent its build-up in water pipes, caused by the evaporation of mineral-rich “hard” water.
Right now, the company employs around 12 people and plans to double the team in the coming years.
In terms of funding, AquaBlu is bootstrapped to date, however, the company has plans for the near future. Regarding this, Stokvis clarifies “Possibly. Not yet necessary as we are able to fund our business from the sale of products and the initial investment.”
The company is backed by the Stokvis Group—a Netherlands-based firm dealing with engineering, manufacturing, service, and wholesale of winches, capstans, and other large equipment. Back in September 2019, the startup officially became part of the Yes!Delft community – a leading tech incubator in Europe.
Turning Amsterdam canal water into safe bottled water
Last year, Aquablu turned canal water in Amsterdam into safe drinking water with its smart technology. For this, Aquablu drew water from the Keizersgracht, Herengracht, and Prinsengracht canals in Amsterdam. The company’s proprietary purification system was installed in a portable case on a boat and the water pumped out of the canals was purified, mineralised, and bottled on the spot. This one-litre limited-edition bottled water was then sold exclusively in the Netherlands via the company website for a premium price of €39.
Future plans
The company wants to be present at every European location where bottled water is currently sold. “We have the ambition to save 1 billion plastic bottles of water worldwide before 2030. A number that represents more than 80,000 tons of CO2 savings and also with us 1 billion liters of water made available in developing countries through our liter for a liter campaign. I call that a win-win-win”, according to Van Zuylen.
