AWARD-WINNING LIFESTRAW WATER FILTER MAKES EUROPEAN RETAIL DEBUT
Lightweight Filter Uses Innovative Technology to Offer
Easy Access to Clean and Safe Drinking Water Away From Home or in Emergencies
The award-winning LifeStraw® personal water filter is now available to consumers throughout Europe for the first time. It will be sold by Denmark-based WaterNlife, who is the exclusive distributor of LifeStraw® in Europe, Japan, Turkey and Russia and with distribution in Australia and New Zealand as well.
LifeStraw® has been time-tested in some of the harshest environments and humanitarian emergencies since 2005. The portable filter removes bacteria and parasites from water, and is ideal for outdoor activities, travel, and emergency preparedness.
LifeStraw® is durable and effective. It has no moving parts, is ready to use out of the packaging, and ease to maintenance, The filter measures 22.5 centimeters long and 2.5 centimeters in diameter, and weighs only 56 grams. It removes bacteria, such E. Coli and Cholera, by 99.9999 percent, and parasites, such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, by 99.9 percent, that frequently contaminate untreated water, and it removes particulate matter.
LifeStraw® has also been designed to last. The filter is made of durable plastic, is chemical-free, and doesn’t require electrical power, batteries or replacement parts; it’s powered by user-generated suction. Each LifeStraw® will filter at least 1,000 liters (264 gallons) of water. Anyone who can use a drinking straw can use a LifeStraw®. The user simply dips the LifeStraw® directly into unfiltered water and draws it through the LifeStraw®. Clean water comes directly out of the mouthpiece. Blowing air out through the straw flushes and clears the filter after drinking.
LifeStraw® was originally designed for communities in developing countries and as an emergency response tool, but has since had significant interest from campers, backpackers, travelers and people who want to use it as an emergency preparedness tool in the North American market.
“We are very pleased to expand the retail distribution of LifeStraw® throughout Europe together with WaterNlife,” explained Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, CEO of Vestergaard Frandsen, the manufacturer of LifeStraw®. “In celebration of the European retail launch, for every LifeStraw sold, Vestergaard Frandsen and WaterNlife will donate 100 liters of clean drinking water to some of the more than 750 million people who don’t have access to clean and safe water,” he added.
“Because LifeStraw® takes up very little space in a camper’s backpack or a traveler’s luggage and does not require any replacement parts, it offers easy access to safe drinking water when they’re away from home,” said Nicolaj Due, CEO of WaterNlife.
“We also encourage people to keep LifeStraw® on hand for better disaster preparedness as it has a longer shelf-life than chlorine and is effective against chlorine-resistant parasites. All in all, we see LifeStraw® as a truly unique invention with great potential in Europe,” Due added.
Disasters like storms and floods often result in compromised municipal water systems. When water contaminated with bacteria or parasites is consumed, the outcome can range from gastrointestinal discomfort to serious diarrheal illness or even life-threatening disease.
European consumers can purchase LifeStraw® through WaterNlife at www.waternlife.com for 20 Euro plus applicable tax, shipping and handling or through an expanding network of retailers across Europe. For more information, visit www.waternlife.com.