Ecofiltro

Company Website

http://www.ecofiltro.org

Phase

: Affordable Clean Water

Company Description

Ecofiltro is a social business whose mission is to provide clean water in an affordable and sustainable manner to all people on the planet. We measure our success by being profitable, achieving a high social impact in rural communities and reducing the environmental cost of providing clean water.

We source all of our materials and labor locally and create no waste during our production process.

In most developing countries, urban populations buy bottled water. The cost of bottled water is increasing every year since it needs to be packaged and trucked all over the market. Ecofiltro is a solution that significantly reduces the energy required to bring clean water to people’s homes. Additionally, Ecofiltro is the lowest cost water purifier in the market in developing countries.

Ecofiltro also contributes to reducing deforestation. Studies have shown that when families switch to Ecofiltro instead of boiling water, they lower their firewood consumption significantly.

BUSINESS STRATEGY

The market for Ecofiltro includes both non-profit and for profit consumers and can be combined to bring benefits to both populations. The non-profit market consists of rural populations in Guatemala that do not have access to clean drinking water. Over 90% of the springs, rivers and lakes in the country are contaminated. Tragically, the leading cause of death for children in Guatemala is intestinal infection caused from ingesting contaminated water. The for-profit market for Ecofiltro is very extensive, as the percentage of Guatemalans who buy bottled water is very high. The families that purchase water via a home delivery live primarily in urban areas and spend over $15 a month for this service. The Ecofiltro is priced at $35 for this population and provides abundant clean drinking water at a low price for a family of six for 12 months. In the last 3 years, we have sold over 53,000 filters benefitting over 300,000 individuals. Our model can be replicated in every country!

Team (including key partners)

The Ecofiltro management team consists of mostly women that have been in the organization for years and have done a great job of managing fast growth while preserving quality, reliability and attention to detail. The CEO of Ecofiltro is a Wharton graduate with extensive start up experience.

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