Water is one of the most essential resources for human survival. We rely on it for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and so much more. However, with the increasing industrialisation and pollution, our water sources are becoming contaminated with various contaminants, including heavy metals, and other pollutants. Metals, such as lead, mercury, and arsenic, can have severe health consequences when consumed in high amounts. Therefore, there is a pressing need for innovative solutions to remove these heavy metals from water and ensure the water is safe for human consumption.
Openversum is a leading company in the water sector that has been making waves with its innovative solutions and technologies. With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by the industry, we spoke to Olivier Gröninger, CEO and Co-founder of Openversum to find out how they are committed to revolutionising the way water quality is managed.
What are the current global drinking water problems regarding contaminants and hygiene?
Currently, two billion people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water. The drinking water crisis strikes with pronounced geographic, economic, and social disparity; poverty and lack of water usually go together. Climate change exacerbates urbanisation and water stress, leading to growing water insecurity.
Families today spend up to 25% of their income to access drinking water, children miss 443 million school days each year due to water-related diarrheal diseases, and women waste time managing water instead of getting access to the job market (UN, 2022). Also, these 2 billion people in the world do not get the same opportunity to contribute to the economy or the societal change needed to address the climate crisis.
Why are we still facing issues with clean drinking water?
Despite all existing technical water solutions, we still fail to provide this essential service. Openversum has witnessed first-hand how technical solutions fail to be implemented sustainably. They are too costly, too resource-intensive, not convenient enough, and not adapted to the people who need them most. Marginalised communities are not capable of their maintenance due to a lack of knowledge or replacement material.
Because these technologies fail to be adopted, people continue to boil water using energy from non-renewable sources. Hundreds of millions buy plastic water bottles, which are costly and fossil fuel-based. Also, these bottles often end up in the environment due to a lack of adequate solid waste management systems and education.
What is Openversum doing to overcome these issues?
Openversum solves the global water problem by making water purification technology available to everyone in emerging markets sustainably. They provide a business blueprint to water entrepreneurs and enable them to manufacture and sell drinking water filters locally. Openversum’s novel membrane (patent pending) filter is highly efficient and cost-effective. They remove heavy metals with a granulate and pathogens with the membrane. Their microfranchising ecosystem and operational platform allow them to scale fast to improve millions of lives in a matter of years.
Openversum’s innovative membrane manufacturing process is solvent-free, ensuring a more environmentally friendly and cheaper production than concurrent membranes. The membrane is biodegradable and provides high removal efficiency of pathogens (99.99999%) with a high flow rate (10 L/h). The manufacturing process is now patent-pending.
The Openversum filter can be locally manufactured, it is light, and it filters heavy metals and pesticides. No other household-level filter on the market ensures the removal of such a wide range of contaminants at that rate and cost, yielding a cost of 0.3 cts/L water. Its simplicity of assembly ensures quick manufacturing process pick-up by water entrepreneurs, hence scalability.
Who can benefit from your innovative membrane filter?
Thanks to the filters, families now have access to clean and safe drinking water, which has improved their health and enabled them to attend work or school without falling ill. Additionally, the filters have helped lift local entrepreneurs out of poverty by providing them with meaningful and stable jobs.
Furthermore, the use of filters has reduced health costs for both families and governments/health centres. Openversum promotes gender equality as they empower women entrepreneurs. Lastly, Openversum also contributes to the sustainability of the environment by reducing CO2 emissions and minimising the usage of single-use plastics.
What are Openversum’s long-term goals in providing safe water?
Openversum’s goal is to provide millions of people with clean and safe drinking water. Their platform integration allows them to scale quickly without being physically present. Openversum has already demonstrated this as they scaled from Colombia to Ecuador without even setting foot there. Once Openversum has scaled within Colombia and Ecuador, they are ready to expand to other countries that urgently need it and already knock on their doors. Openversum’s microfranchising ecosystem gives them access to other products in the water sector that are urgently needed, such as water quantity and sanitation.
In today’s world, where water scarcity and pollution are pressing issues, Openversum’s role in the water sector cannot be overstated.
Their solutions help water utilities and municipalities optimise their operations, reduce water loss, and improve overall efficiency.
(Picture Credit: Gian Marco Castelberg / ETH Zürich)
