Plastic Can Make the World a Better Place

Dow Chemical Company recently donated its eighth shipment of plastic resin for use in Hydraid BioSand water filters to its partner, non-profit Safe Water Team, Inc. Dow has committed to donate 2 million pounds of resin, enough to make 300,000 filters. Since one filter can provide clean, safe drinking water for a family of four, this donation will potentially serve close to 1.5 million people for 10 years.

 “This is a great example of harnessing the power of scientific knowledge and discovery to help make the world a better place,” said Mike Moran of Dow Performance Plastics. “We’re pleased that our resin is part of the Hydraid filter application and look forward to continuing to fulfill our commitment to Hydraid and the families in these emerging regions.”

 Hydraid water filters offer a simple, clean solution. The eight-pound plastic filter can provide a family with up to 50 gallons a day of clean water. The filter uses gravity, so it requires no power, has no moving parts to replace, and lasts about 10 years. It removes more than 99.9 percent of parasites and more than 90 percent of all bacteria and viruses in water.

Each filter can be installed in most countries for less than $1 (USD) per person per year. More than 50,000 filters have been distributed around the world since 2006. Safe Water Team, in collaboration with organizations such as Wishing Well International Foundation, has been able to implement large-scale water projects in developing countries like Honduras, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Ghana.

On behalf of Safe Water Team and its partners, the Wishing Well International Foundation would like to thank Dow for their generous support.

“Dow’s support allows us to purchase the filter for less money and that itself increases our ability to impact more people by reinvesting the savings. Every little bit helps and we encourage other companies to get involved,” said WWIF founder Guillermo Guzman.