Parley for the Oceans, a futurist form of environmental organization, and Brita®, the leader in at-home water filtration products for over 40 years, today announce a long-term partnership to end the era of the single-use plastic water bottle. Parley and Brita are also introducing the “Future of Water,” a design exploration that envisions what Brita products and access to safe drinking water could look like in the future through radical innovation. Together, the partners share a common mission to end marine plastic pollution and pioneer the future of water, the essential ingredient for life.

The single-use plastic water bottle is a symbol and symptom of a broken system,” said Cyrill Gutsch, Founder, Parley for the Oceans. “We cannot continue to package our most precious, life-giving resource in a design failure that threatens the oceans and human health. With billions of people already facing the reality of water shortages, we know we have to change. But to create a better future, we first need to imagine one. Parley has demonstrated before that a ‘symbol of change,’ or product fiction, can be the vehicle that allows us to take an idea and transform it into reality. With Brita, we will harness the powers of design and science, and collaborate with nature to transform the future of water, the lifeblood we share with the oceans.”

This partnership builds on Brita’s mission to make water better for people and the planet, including providing access to clean water in vulnerable U.S. communities, having zero plastic waste to landfill by 2030, creating completely curbside recyclable packaging using 100% recycled fibers and removing 20 billion single-use plastic water bottles from circulation per year by 2030.

“This partnership is one of the most important actions we’ve taken as a brand to help achieve our sustainability goals,” said Eric Schwartz, General Manager, Brita. “Through our work with Parley, we’ve been able to conceptualize a world that is free from single-use plastic water bottles and demonstrate how this ambitious idea can be our new reality. This design has been in the works for some time, and we’re looking forward to using it as inspiration for products we’re bringing to market in the near future.”

A SHARED COMMITMENT TO THE PARLEY A.I.R. STRATEGY

In a joint effort to address the interconnected global crises of plastic waste and water scarcity, Parley and Brita are outlining a series of shared commitments to the Parley A.I.R. Strategy (Avoid, Intercept, Redesign):

• Avoid plastic wherever possible.
  • Brita and Parley will work side-by-side to provide more people with clean, healthy tap water so that more households can choose to avoid single-use plastic water bottles.
  • The partners will explore innovation of Brita products to reduce and ultimately avoid plastic altogether, beginning by eliminating single-use plastic packaging.
• Intercept plastic waste before it reaches our environment.
  • Through Parley’s Global Cleanup Network, Brita will support the interception of marine plastic debris equal to its current plastic filter footprint.
• Redesign the materials, methods and mindsets at the source of the problem.
  • Parley and Brita will design eco-innovative products to bring an end to the single-use plastic water bottle and replace plastic with eco-innovative materials and filtration solutions.

“FUTURE OF WATER” DESIGN EXPLORATION
The Brita x Parley “Future of Water” is a design exploration that envisions a filtration system inspired by the greatest designer: nature. It consists of customizable elements that combine to form a filtration system adaptable to all needs and situations.

In the design concept, future materials made with organic substances like lignin, algae and mycelium replace any need for plastics. The filtration ring is the central element of the modular system that can be used alone with a tap faucet or configured to create an attachment for bottles and pitchers. The ideal system would remove and break down contaminants while enriching water. At their end-of-use, each component would either be biodegradable or returned for renewal and reuse.

To bring the “Future of Water” design exploration into reality, Brita and Parley will tap into advancements in green chemistry, biomaterials, and solutions inspired by nature to enable access to water that is safe, equitable and free of plastics and toxic pollutants. The “Future of Water” visualizations represent what is possible through material science, eco-innovation and collaboration. Brita and Parley will contribute their respective expertise and collective passion to their shared mission to help create a more sustainable future.

www.britaxparley.com.