Responsibility in our Industry

• You want more than pure, healthy, clean water. You want great tasting water.  @StraussGroup #WaterBars

Although over 70% of our Earth is covered with water, only about 1% of this is actually fit for human consumption. Consumers around the world want us, the businesses of the world, to be protective of our water sources, and help people gain equitable access to clean water, pure enough to drink. In fact, in 2010, the United Nations determined that access to water is a basic human right through the passing of Resolution 64/292 in which the United Nations General Assembly explicitly acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realization of all human rights.

Health-conscious consumers want pure water: Drinking water is essential for our health, and access to drinking water comes in many shapes and forms. Drinking water standards vary from geography to geography. In some locations, drinking water supplied through local national water companies is treated with chemicals, such as chlorine or fluoride, and in others, it contains impurities and waste-stream residues. You, our health-conscious consumers, want to know that the water you drink is water. Not toxic chemicals.

Buying bottled water does more harm than good. For those of you who want pure water, there are several options. One is to buy bottled water, as do millions of consumers around the world. This is a multi-billion dollar industry, which uses enormous amounts of fossil-fuel based resources to make millions of plastic bottles, creates massive landfill mounds of discarded bottles, and uses other resources in making, transporting and marketing bottled water. Other options for consumers include different types of purification systems in the home, based on using tap water and best available purification technologies and systems.

Expanding access to pure drinking water

We have been working hard to improve our technology and products and bring you the most advanced water purification systems available, so that you can have pure, great-tasting, drinking water, boiling hot for your coffee or ice-cold for your lemonade, at the push of a button, in your home. Our company, Strauss Water, develops, manufactures and markets water purifying solutions which provide this opportunity for millions of people in Israel, China and the UK and eight other countries. Our solutions work with treated drinking water that is usually supplied through national water supply networks. We do not drill holes in the ground or exploit natural spring sources. We have invested millions of dollars to develop our technologies, and partnered with Virgin in the UK and Haier in China to provide local marketing and distribution and service to the home.

Advanced technologies

In 2012, we improved our patent-protected, cutting-edge water purification technology @StraussGroup #WaterBars

In 2012, we continued to upgrade our patent-protected MAZE water purification technology, which was developed with scientists from the Weizmann Institute and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In the MAZE technology, a multi-compartment purifier treats water impurities such as heavy metals and bacterial contaminants. Each compartment in the purifier removes a particular kind of contamination, resulting in highly purified great tasting water. The process maintains essential mineral elements such as calcium and magnesium. Our second product line is based on a UV lamp and filter purification process which removes chemical and biological ‎contaminants while retaining all the water’s healthy minerals.  Our WaterBars hold the Water Quality Association (WQA) Gold Seal for drinking water standards as well as other international quality standards.  In 2012, we made an improvement to our MAZE technology by including a special new part that guarantees a steady flow rate of water through the “maze” of compartments in the purifier.

Pure water in China

In 2012, in China, we launched a new WaterBar for Chinese consumers, offering access to pure water @StraussGroup #WaterBars

In China, water quality has been compromised in recent years due to industrial, agricultural and urban expansion and China is currently the largest growing market of bottled water in the world and is considered the second largest consumer of bottled water, after the U.S. Helping our Chinese consumers gain access to pure water remains a priority for us. For example, in early 2013, we launched a new product in China, the Water Maker Young, which is a smaller and lower-priced appliance, offering high water purification with ease of use and simplicity. This has provided more Chinese consumers with the opportunity to enjoy pure and tasty drinking water.

Pure water in the UK

In 2012, in the UK, we launched Virgin Pure, a new experience for British water-drinkers @StraussGroup #WaterBars

In the UK, in May 2012, we announced the launch of our home purification systems, under the Virgin Pure brand. Virgin Pure is an all-inclusive service providing UK consumers, with an unlimited supply of ultra-pure water in chilled and boiling hot variations.  This kind of service is quite new to the UK consumer, who, over the years, has become a significant purchaser of bottled water. Research has shown that around 40% of UK homes prefer an alternative to tap water, either for purity reasons or for taste reasons. Virgin Pure offers a more convenient and more effective alternative.