ECO-FRIENDLY
Designing for a sustainable future
Aqua Optima’s Perfect Pour collection was recognised for its sustainability credentials in this year’s edition of the Housewares Awards. Following the achievement, Housewares Magazine delves into what sustainability means to the business.
qua Optima’s Perfect Pour collection was voted ‘Highly Commended’ in the recent Housewares Awards for Best Sustainable Product of the Year. The collection was recognised for the company’s commitment to sustainability whilst remaining design-driven. “Designing for a sustainable future is central to our mission statement, so this was important recognition for us and was rightly celebrated by the whole team. The Perfect Pour collection was developed using consumer insight that showed 80% of people wanted a water filter jug that is easier to fill and pour from. Central to the collection is the Perfect Pour jug, available in two sizes and two colours. It has an easy fill, sliding lid, and dispenses at less of an angle than traditional water filter jugs, so there is no glug or drip. The ergonomic handle also helps prevent wrist strain. We have now also launched an 8 litre, fridge-friendly water dispenser, which also includes an elevated stand to allow it to be used on counter tops. Again, a sliding front fill lid eliminates splashing when filling and the nested jug also simplifies refilling. The whole collection uses our ultra-fast Evolve+ filter, a five-step filtration system which removes impurities from tap water. The BPA-free filter also reduces limescale and chlorine, to improve the taste and aroma of drinks and extend the life of appliances and jugs,” says Nick Gibbs, Group engineering & product director at Strix. “We think its sustainability credentials are impressive and, at a time
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when consumers are looking to reduce their plastic waste, Perfect Pour offers a great solution. As part of Aqua Optima’s commitment to sustainable manufacturing, the Perfect Pour collection is the first of our products to be manufactured in a new solar-powered factory, following significant solar investment, and we’ve signed long-term renewable electricity contracts for China and the UK. In terms of the product itself, each Evolve+ filter lasts for up to 30 days, or 100 litres of water, saving the equivalent of 200 single-use 500ml plastic bottles. The filter works up to three times faster than the leading brand and is recyclable, as part of our partnership with TerraCycle®, who clean the filters then melt them into hard plastic to be remoulded into new recycled products.”
A wider commitment The business has developed its products to align with its wider sustainability goals, as Gibbs says “Our overarching goal is to develop best in class products for sustainable living. To achieve this, we’ve set ambitious KPIs across all areas of our business, ranging from reducing our carbon emissions and use of energy and water, reducing product material content and developing sustainable practices with direct suppliers, to engaging with and supporting our local communities. I’m proud to say we have already made significant progress against these objectives. In 2022 we put in place the building blocks to enable us to deliver on our net zero commitments in 2023, which we believe will mark us out as a sector leading brand. All of our manufacturing plants are now running on renewable electricity which, along with the solar capacity of our Chinese facility, puts us ahead of our own targets. It requires a significant monetary and time commitment to support any sustainability agenda, as well as buy-in across the business. What has supported our progress is a committed team working to a well-defined roadmap and clear KPIs.”
housewareslive.net August/September 2023 | 27 “Our development continues into how to improve the efficiency of
delivering hot water through improved kettle design, and the introduction of associated products such as the Aurora Instant Hot and Cold Filtered Water Dispenser and the LAICA Dual Flo. The water filtration side of the business is also key to both our commercial and sustainability strategy, eliminating the requirement for single use plastic bottles, offering higher quality through water filtration and a recycling service for filter cartridges to promote a circular trajectory. Perfect Pour is a fantastic example of a product design embodying this objective.”
Developing the brand Moving forward, the business will keep its sustainability goals at the forefront, as Gibbs concludes “At every point in our product development, we check that the finished product will live up to the high sustainability objectives we’ve set ourselves as a business. If an aspect of the product design is at odds with one of our KPIs, such as energy use, we go back to the drawing board. In addition, a new brand, Billi, was acquired at the end of November 2022, providing an extension to the Strix product range. This acquisition has extended our capabilities within premium filtered and non-filtered instant boiling, chilled and sparkling water systems, so we anticipate further innovation to come.”
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