http://www.boatinternational.com | June 2018ILLUSTRATION: PATRICK HRUBY
D
rAlessioLucattelliwasworkinginHaitiaspartofthemedicalreliefefortafterthe2010
earthquakewhen,frustratedbythelackofcleanwater,henoticeddropsformingonanair-
conditioningunit.Obviouslythatwaterwasdirtyandofnouse,butthesightofitsethismind
racing.Technologytoextractwaterfromthehumidityinairalreadyexisted.Butwhatifheweretodevelop
amachinethatwouldmakenotjustwater,butmineraliseddrinkingwaterthatwaspalatable(trytasting
distilledwater)andgoodforyou?
TheresultisVeragon.TheLondon-basedcompanymakesmachinesthatproducewater,literallyoutof
thinair,thatcostsconsiderablylessthanbottledwater,obviatestheneedforsingle-useglassandplastic
bottlesandmakeswateravailableinsomeoftheworld’sharshestenvironments.
Toproduceit,airisdrawnintoan“atmosphericwatergenerator”,whereitisfilteredtoremovedirtand
dustandpurified.Itiscondensedoncoolpanels,whichtransformitintodropsofwaterthatcollectinlarge
tanks.Thewaterissanitisedusingozoneandfortifiedwithcalcium,magnesium,sodiumandpotassium,
four of the major minerals the human body needs, all of which occur naturally in the best-known branded
spring and mineral waters. It then passes through a chilling unit that cools it to a pleasant drinking
temperature. Finally, it is treated with UV light to protect it from outside bacteria.
To date, Veragon’s principal customers have been NGOs. “The flagship clients we have include the
United Nations World Food Programme and NATO,” says its business development director, Nicholas
van Cutsem. “And they’re not going to buy equipment that can’t guarantee a high quality level of water.”
But that equipment would be equally efective on a yacht: of the smaller models, the V05 CIV measures
2.2 x 2.4 x 4.2 metres, weighs 830kg and produces 20 litres an hour and up to 500 litres a day.
It wouldn’t replace the desalination plant – you’d still need water to wash with – “but from a drinking
water perspective,” says van Cutsem, “the great joy of this technology is that you’re making high-quality
drinking water that is delivered on a daily basis at the point of need without ever needing to be refilled.”
You’ ll never run out, and it greatly reduces glass and plastic waste. veragon.comCHECKLISTCEAN
UPGRADE YOUR
DRINKING WATER
Imagine if you could make mineral water from thin air.
One company has managed just that, finds Claire WrathallLuxury organic skincare
range Orveda launched
with a mission to keep
the level of plastic
used in its packaging
and on counters in
its stores as low as
possible. Founder Sue
Y Nabi, who is a former
president of L’Oréal
Paris and Lancôme, says
that Orveda “is made
up of less than five
per cent plastic, with
bottles made of high
quality glass, because
highly concentrated
formulations are
preserved better in glass.
We also know that glass
is easily recyclable.”
On top of that, the brand
“won’t use mineral oils or
plastic beads, which are
now forbidden in Europe.
As a vegan brand, we
do not use any animal
extract that comes from
the sea (no caviar, marine
collagen, marine peptides
or pearl extracts) and
we won’t use non-
biodegradable SPF
actives that accumulate
on corals and kill them.”
Talk about leading
by example. orveda.comCARE DEEPLY
FOR YOUR SKIN