Providing indirect drinking water
to problem areas
As of last month, Blycolin started cooperating with Made Blue. “A liter for a liter” means that the water usage in our laundry is mirrored by Made Blue. We make an equal amount of drinking water available in developing countries as we spend in our laundry.
In our pursuit of corporate social responsibility, this is yet another step. We have an extensive sustainable collection and are developing more sustainable product. We measure our CO2 emission, but clean drinking water is actually a bigger problem in the world than CO2 emission.
Access to clean drinking water
Made Blue has measured our water footprint and invests in drinking water projects in places where access to clean water is not self-evident on our behalf. Think of water wells, filter systems and pipeworks to bring clean water from the mountains to villages in the valley below.
Blycolin and Made Blue share the ambition to make clean drinking water available for everyone in the world. At this moment, 780 million people still lack permanent access to clean water. Access to clean water is also the most effective way to fight child mortality and poverty.
Made Blue is delighted about the cooperation with Blycolin. “To us, it is unimaginable that one of your children can’t attend school, because he or she has to walk for four hours with a jerrycan that day to get – probably contaminated – water. By increasing awareness about water and cooperating in making clean water available, we really make a difference. It is fantastic that Blycolin works with us by also investing in drinking water projects.” says Machiel van Dooren, founder of Made Blue.
Also Marc van Boekholt, CEO of Blycolin, is pleased with the cooperation: “With the concept ‘a liter for a liter’, we and Made Blue hope to provide many people with permanent access to clean water and build a life for themselves. Through the direct link to our own water usage, we also create a clear message.”
The projects are implemented by charities such as Simavi, Cordaid and AMREF Flying Doctors. The project selection and monitoring is performed by Aqua for All. The project progress can be monitored realtime through AKVO. PwC supplies ‘assurance’ for the entire project and safeguards that the invested funds really yield the required liters of water.
A nice example is the Simavi water project in Khulna, Bangladesh. Thanks to the investments of Made Blue, 3,600 school children there now have access to clean water and receive information about hygiene. Besides this, 14,860 people living in extreme poverty gain access to drinking water and manage the water supply provisions together. Finally, 12 rainwater collection systems have been developed near schools.
With the concept of ‘a liter for a liter’, we and Made Blue hope to provide permanent access to clean water to many people and have them build a proper life for themselves. Through the indirect connection to our water use, we also create a clear message about our water footprint to our customers.
About Made Blue
Made Blue mirrors the water usage of connected brands and organizations in the Netherlands by making drinking water sustainably available in developing countries: a liter for a liter. Organizations are provided with insight into their water footprint, invest in brand value and contribute to the availability of drinking water elsewhere in the world. Made Blue offers distinctive capacity with positive measurable impact, independently certified. Made Blue was founded in cooperation with Aqua for All and is supported by Royal Haskoning, DHV en PwC. For more information, please see: madeblue.org.