Filter Caps Present a Simple Solution for Accessible Water Filtration

Initially intended to help the four million affected by clean water scarcity in Colombia (a figure expected to increase with rising global temperatures – see Solutions for the New Climate Era), Filter Caps are designed with the universal PCO 28mm thread fitting, which makes them compatible with any plastic bottle. Cheap to produce at just $5.89 each, the Filter Caps are 3D-printed from a cornstarch-based resin that is entirely compostable at the end of its life cycle.

Awarded Gold at Cannes Lions for Sustainable Development Goals, Filter Caps are designed for quick and easy use. Users fill a plastic bottle with non-potable water and screw on the Filter Cap, add a second empty plastic bottle to the top of the cap, and then simply turn them upside down to begin filtration. Water passes through layers containing minerals, metals and natural substrates to balance PH, purify and mineralise, removing 90% of heavy metals and reducing cloudiness by 70%.

Compact and lightweight in design, Filter Caps are able to reach remote areas that other safe water systems cannot due to lack of infrastructure. Ogilvy Colombia has already joined forces with the Colombian Red Cross and non-profit foundation Baylor International to give 1,000 Filter Caps to Indigenous communities in the country, and plans to distribute them worldwide.

Like the Guardian Toad by VML, Filter Caps demonstrate how simple design solutions can often be the most effective. For more on water treatment solutions, see Adapting to a Changing Climate 21: Product Design.