LifeStraw Removes Contaminants From Any Water Source

LifeStraw believes that safe drinking water is a human right. That’s why, for the past two decades, the brand has provided clean, filtered water to anyone around the world — through the simple-yet-brilliant idea of building filters into straws. 

Vestergaard, LifeStraw’s parent company, invented its first filter straw in 1999 in an effort to eradicate Guinea worm disease, which had over 3.5 million confirmed cases in the decade prior. “People could drink directly from an open water source, and [the straw] would remove the Guinea worm larvae,” says LifeStraw CEO Alison Hill. They have since distributed over 40 million filters. Their impact has been immense: The World Health Organization projects zero cases by 2027 and a complete elimination of the disease by 2030. Once this target is realized, Guinea worm disease will be the first to be eradicated by technology other than a vaccine.

LifeStraw might be high-tech, but it’s incredibly easy to use: Sip directly from any water source, and the hollow fiber-membrane filter catches contaminants, transforming the water from dirty to clean. It requires no electricity to function and is “built for the toughest water conditions in the world,” says Hill. In addition to parasites, LifeStraw’s blue plastic filter pump removes 99.999% of microplastics and 99.999999% of bacteria.

Hill led the charge to bring LifeStraw to retail. “I thought, what if we built a brand around water filtration and purification for outdoor use — whether it’s for emergencies or recreation?” Today, the brand has dozens of devices that use its patented filtration technology, including water bottles, water storage bags, and even glass pitchers for a home refrigerator. It’s a game-changer for outdoor travelers, emergency aid after natural disasters, and any community without regular access to potable water. The newest innovation is the LifeStraw Sip, a lightweight, stainless steel straw, ideal for travelers. 

Even though LifeStraw is a for-profit retail brand, it’s still a public health company at its core, putting its money where its straws are sipped. LifeStraw distributes and installs filtration devices after natural disasters and during humanitarian crises through the Safe Water Fund. (The company provided safe drinking water to over 100,000 people in 2023 alone.) And for every 500 products sold, LifeStraw’s Give Back Program provides a water purifier to a school in Kenya, Haiti, Venezuela, Ghana, or Ethiopia.

“Through about 10 years of retail sales, we’ve provided just under 12 million kids with a year of safe water,” says Hill. Half of LifeStraw’s employees live in the communities where those filters are installed, providing education, training, and support to ensure that the filters are used properly. “Everybody deserves best-in-class tech.”