LifeStraw is winner of the INDEX: people's choice award

Designed in: Netherlands, Denmark, Israel

Problem: Getting clean water to people in developing countries.
The world's greatest killer is diarrhoeal diseases from bacteria like typhoid, cholera, E. coli, salmonella etc.



Solution: With LifeStraw™ which lasts for one person's annual needs of clean water, nobody needs to die from these diseases. This design is made with special emphasis on avoiding any moving parts, to disregard spare parts, and to avoid the use of electricity, which does not exist in many areas in the Third World.

But as force is needed to implement the filtering, LifeStraw™ uses the natural source of suckling that even babies are able to perform.

The LifeStraw™ is produced at a price that people in the business find hard to believe, but it is essential to be able to present an affordable price to the consumer in the Third World. So far the product is not marketed yet, but after intensive laboratory tests we are now conducting field tests to observe where the filter could be improved for users. When fully used in the Third World this will indeed be a lifesaver.

» Click here to read the interview with the lead designer