Author: Hannah Wind Date: Sunday, 8 September 2024
Location: Germany
Source: Private Collection.
SUMMARY
Wasser 3.0 is a German non-profit limited liability company that works for water without microplastics and micro-pollutants. At the heart of the company are, thereby, the values that clean water is a human right and that solutions for water pollution need to be found to ensure a green and sustainable future. How can the right to clean water be implemented in times of plastic pollution?
BACKGROUND
The United Nations has pointed out that “access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene is the most basic human need for health and well-being.” Even though that is so, many people worldwide do not have this human right fulfilled and will not have it fulfilled by 2030. It is, therefore, one of the sustainable development goals of the United Nations to quadruple the effort of translating this basic human right into reality for everyone.
At the moment, the biggest obstacle to realizing access to safe water is environmental pollution and increasing water scarcity due to severe droughts caused by climate change. For these reasons, we must develop a system to clean and keep the available water safe. Only if this can be ensured will we realize access to safe water for everyone and allow ourselves “to better manage our production of food and energy and contribute to decent work and economic growth.”
A major driver of water pollution is plastic. Due to the plastic litter ending up in our environment every day, we do not only harm ourselves but also contribute to biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation in general, thereby exacerbating climate change. Plastic pollution is, hence, one of the biggest challenges to be overcome in the next years. Therefore, it is crucial to not only work towards eradicating plastic dumps in the future but also to develop a system that can clean our water from plastic that is currently in the cycle. While this is a transboundary issue that needs cooperation from all states around the world, efforts start at the micro-level, with ideas being developed and translated into actions by private people and smaller companies.
Wasser 3.0 – A Mission to Solve this Issue
One company that came up with a great idea to counter water pollution and thereby work towards implementing the right to access safe water for everyone is Wasser 3.0. Wasser 3.0 (translated to English: Water 3.0) is a German non-profit limited liability company that works for water without microplastics and micropollutants. Dealing with different kinds of water, including wastewater and groundwater, the company aims to provide a future-proof, sustainable solution to plastic pollution. It wants to go beyond the paradigm shift, assuming that the socio-ecological transformation is already a reality, which opens the doors to more creative and innovative approaches.
What Does Wasser 3.0 do?
Innovative Technologies – Detect, Remove, Reuse
A key approach developed by Wasser 3.0 is the reuse of microplastics filtered from water. To make wide use of its technology, the company rents out a filter that can separate microplastic from water by clumping and skimming it through constant stirring. This process allows micro-particles to agglomerate into larger compounds of microplastic, which can easily be removed from the water. In the sense of circular economy, the agglomerates are then reused for new products. This approach is not only eco-friendly and energy-efficient but also has very low operating costs as well as high flexibility. Therefore, it embodies a perfect solution to combatting microplastics in our waters.
Research and Development
While the approach serves as a viable solution on a small scale, further research and development is needed to apply such technologies on a larger scale. For these reasons, Wasser 3.0 partook and still participates in several research and development projects. These include domestic projects in Germany and projects on European and international levels. On top of that, Wasser 3.0 is addressing information gaps through its innovative projects while actively debunking myths with transparent data collection and clear communication. These initiatives are entirely funded by sponsorships and donations, ensuring continued progress in environmental efforts.
Education
Beyond actions in the economic and sustainability sector and constantly enhancing one’s knowledge, it is essential to raise awareness about the issue of water pollution per se, the right to safe water, and whatever can be done by the private individual to minimize the effects of water pollution on humanity and the environment. For that reason, Wasser 3.0 also engages in creating content to “understand the relevance to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.” Amongst other things, the company developed digital-real interactive websites for students and teachers, as well as private individuals, to learn more about microplastics and plastics and polymers generally. The aim to educate peaks with CEO and founder of Wasser 3.0 Katrin Schuhen’s book “Rebel of the water, how we save our most precious food” in which she answers questions surrounding the topics of water protection and protection from contaminated water on a private scale.
Overall, while Wasser 3.0, as a company that was founded in 2020, is still very young, it has shown great potential ever since and provides credible and valuable solutions to a problem that concerns all of us as well as future generations.
REFERENCES
United Nations. (n.d.). Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/
Wasser 3.0 gGmbH. (4 December 2020). Wasser 3 0: detect | remove | reuse (English Version) (VIDEO). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i_kdizUUjo
Wasser 3.0 gGmbH. (n.d.). Vision and values. https://wasserdreinull.de/en/about-us/vision-and-values/
Wasser 3.0 gGmbH. (n.d.). Rebellin des Wassers (Rebel of the water): How we save our most precious food. https://wasserdreinull.de/en/rebellin-des-wassers/
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