CLARITY – A CLEAR CASE OF SAFE WATER. FOR ALL.

In our privileged environments, where food, power and water are everyday staples, it is hard to believe that more than 2 billion people have no access to safe water*. It was this fact that inspired Kohler to develop CLARITY, a simple, affordable filtration system that can provide safe drinking water for those living in remote areas with no access to clean water.

Kohler has had an ongoing passion and commitment to utilise its high-end design and technology skills to make change for ALL, especially those who have less. Having joined the Bill Gates Foundation, Kohler partnered with the California Institute of Technology in 2012 to develop a photovoltaic toilet to provide a sustainable sanitation option to the 2.5 billion people around the world who don’t have safe sanitation.

CLARITY is yet another step in the company’s ongoing commitment to global health and sustainability. A table-top ceramic filtration system, CLARITY was developed by Kohler in partnership with World Vision, iDE and Water Mission. It can produce 40 litres of safe drinking water a day – enough for a small family.

The cornerstones of the design are that it be simple to use and maintain, inexpensive to acquire and run and easy to transport in some of the most remote and rugged terrains in the world.

CLARITY, a ceramic filtration system, removes more than 99 per cent of bacteria and protozea from 11 litres of water every two hours.

Contaminated or dirty water is placed in the reservoir at the top of the unit which then uses gravity to filter down to the storage reservoir below. The clean water can be kept safely in this reservoir and accessed by tap.

The filter cartridge contains some silver, for its antimicrobial properties, and is cleaned simply by rubbing gently with sandpaper to remove any sediment build-up. Each cartridge will filter up to 5000 litres of water before replacement is required.

Enormous thought has been put into the environments and communities in which CLARITY will be used – the lid, for example, is embossed with pictographic instructions in consideration of those who are illiterate.

Transport can also be an expensive and difficult process in more remote areas – so both the CLARITY unit and its packaging has been designed to be as lightweight as possible. One truckload of CLARITY filtration systems will contain 3600 units – enough for about 14, 400 people.

The easy to assemble and use CLARITY filtration unit stands about 60cms tall and weighs just 2.5 kg – and meets WHO standards for safe drinking water.

The CLARITY has already been used in disaster relief efforts for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. Given that statistics suggest the incidence of water-borne illnesses can be reduced by 45 per cent through safe drinking water, and safe storage, the CLARITY is a life-changing development.

The Kohler CLARITY project has been a truly multicultural affair having been designed by a Kohler team in the UK, engineered by a Kohler team in India and produced in Kohler’s US factory.

Kohler NZ holds permanent stocks of the CLARITY in its NZ warehouse in preparation for a rapid response should there be further disasters in its regional South Pacific islands.

Go to www.clarity.kohler.com for more details.

* WHO 7/2/201


WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CLARITY

  • Designed to meet WHO (World Health Organisation) water quality standards
  • Filters up to 40 litres per day*
  • Filters up to 2 litres per hour*
  • 23 liters total capacity(11 L dirty, 12 L clean with safe storage)
  • Easy to assemble and clean
  • Nestable for shipping as individual filters or in bulk

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