What is the special value you create for consumers?

In Indonesia, no one has safe drinking water from the tap. There are water utilities, but only nine per cent of the population use that water. Also, even that water is not safe to drink. The rest of the population, about 270 million people, depend on well or river water – sources they cannot control. This is similar in other countries. 

We empower households to purify their water at the point of use. This saves them money – 12 million USD globally since we founded the company – and improves their health.

How do you ensure quality and make sure your filters meet people’s needs?

Nazava is one of the few companies targeting the base of the pyramid that is certified by the WHO for bacteria removal. We also publish all our test reports so people know what we can purify and what we cannot. 

In the design of our products, we cooperated with universities. They involved our future customers in a Human Centered Design approach. This was crucial to ensure quality. It is important that the product you sell is not just functional, but also attractive and aspirational, something that lower-income households really want to invest in. I have seen many products flop because they had not been tested with the communities and did not look attractive. 

Can you tell us more about your impact on women?

We primarily focus on women because, globally, they face the burden of providing safe drinking water to their families. They still face the double or the triple burden of caring for the household and generating money. Women spend a lot of time looking for fuel wood to boil water. With water filters, they can use this time for productive activities or relaxing.

How do you impact the environment?

Without water filters, people boil their water using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or wood. This causes CO2 emissions. We have been certified for emission reductions and sell carbon credits to companies in the Global North. In total, our products have saved about 177 thousand tons of CO2. 

In addition, we reduce the use of single-use plastic because people buy less water bottles. 

How many people have you reached so far?

We have sold more than 200,000 units, thereby impacting 534,000 people in 32 different countries. In April 2022, we sold 10,000 units to UNICEF for Ukraine. We have a continued use rate of 93 per cent year on year, which shows that our impact is sustainable. 

How do you measure the impact you create?

We go through a through auditing and certification process by third-party institutes to sell carbon credits. In that process, they also measure our social impact. 

In addition, we look at unit sales and do customer surveys. For in-depth research, we work with universities – something I also recommend to other entrepreneurs. Students help us conduct interviews with customers to gather in-depth qualitative data. For them, this is an interesting experience.