Minus Waterfilter by Anastasia Klimova is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award in IJzer in Duurzame Producten, Projecten en Groen Ontwerp Competition Category.

IJzerDuurzaam Product· 2021

Minus Waterfilter

by Anastasia Klimova

Client: Anastasia Klimova

A' Design Award in IJzer Winner in Duurzaam Product Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #108325

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Colors

The Design

About Minus Waterfilter

Minus is een draagbaar kraanwaterfilter, ontworpen om herbruikbaar te zijn en geen afval te produceren. Minus maakt gebruik van de druk van de kraan om water door een filter van geactiveerde kokoskoolstof te persen, waarbij chemicaliën, bacteriën en geurtjes worden verwijderd. De behuizing is gemaakt van roestvrij staal met een rubberen coating voor een betere grip wanneer het nat is. Een natuurlijke indigokleurstof in het filter spoelt geleidelijk uit bij gebruik, wat duidelijk aangeeft wanneer vervanging nodig is. Het gebruikte filter kan worden teruggestuurd, waarna het wordt gereinigd, opnieuw opgeladen en hergebruikt, wat het afval voorkomt dat wegwerpfilters achterlaten.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in IJzer

Minus Waterfilter is winnaar van de A' Design Award in IJzer, een prestigieuze erkenning die wordt toegekend aan goede ontwerpen die voldoen aan de professionele en industriële eisen die worden verwacht van goed ontworpen creaties. Winnaars in IJzer tonen grote vaardigheid, hoge specialisatie, deskundig inzicht en het creatieve vermogen van hun makers. Minus Waterfilter wordt verwacht een hooggewaardeerde, bewonderde en gekoesterde creatie te zijn die praktisch en innovatief is. Dit ontwerp dat de A' Design Award in IJzer heeft gewonnen, integreert de beste praktijken uit de sector en heeft bekwame technische kenmerken die verbonden zijn met knowhow en talent. Minus Waterfilter wordt gerespecteerd om zijn grondigheid en is ontworpen om verbeteringen van de levenskwaliteit te bieden die helpen de wereld een betere plek te maken.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Minus is a zero-waste tap water filter that fits in your pocket. It uses tap pressure to push water through the filter, instantly cleaning it from chemicals, bacteria and odour. Filter's natural indigo colourant washes out with use to let the user know when their filter needs replacement, eliminating any guesswork. Combined with easy filter return service (drop off at any post box) followed by recharge and reuse, Minus is the first water filter designed to be truly circular and sustainable.
Dimensions & Packaging: Minus size: 190mm x 37mm x 53mm
Filter size: 80mm x 35mm x 35mm
Box size: 350mm x 100mm x 47mm
Tags: circular design, sustainability, water, filter, zero-waste, reuse, activated charcoal, plastic pollution, portable, travel
Production Technology: Minus is made of durable stainless steel that is rubber-coated for better grip when wet. Both lids are food-grade rubber. Inside there is precision-manufactured seal designed to fit all common tap sizes. Filter media is made of activated coconut charcoal infused with silver particles to prevent bacterial growth. Carbon is wrapped into the ion-exchange textile for enhanced filtration. Carabiner and front part of Minus body feature threaded fastening and are removable for easy cleaning.
Design Challenge: Designing a simple visual way of communicating that filter has reached its capacity, instead of relying on generalized time periods that are currently an industry-standard, was a challenge. It took a lot of research and prototyping, exploring various materials as well as mechanical, non-mechanical and electronic means of counting water volume to land on the beautifully natural solution of indigo colourant.
Research: Market analysis, user interviews, shadowing, and user testing fueled the design process. My goal was to identify pain points in scenarios when users try to stay hydrated in areas with contaminated water. It helped to fuel brainstorming sessions. I have interviewed people who live in these areas and those who travel there. The users have ergonomically tested several functional prototypes. As a result, an unmet need for a portable zero-waste filter that could be used on the go was uncovered.
Inspiration: In 187 countries, tap water is hazardous for citizens or visitors. It can contain chlorine, lead and bacteria that cause long-term health damage. Available filtration solutions are incredibly wasteful: discarded filters can not be recycled and often become toxic waste, leaking chemicals into the environment. It arguably makes them worse than plastic bottles. I wanted to create a truly sustainable water filter by applying the principles of the circular economy to enable reuse and recycling.
Project Duration: The porject started in April 2020 in Mosocw, Russia, and finished in June 2020.
Operation Flow: 1.Find a tap, turn on the water;
2.Open Minus's both lids, prepare the bottle;
3.Press Minus against the faucet, wait for 5-10sec;
4.Put the bottle against the edge of the sink. It takes around 10sec to fill a 0.5l bottle;
5.When the bottle is full, remove everything from the tap. Turn off the water;
6.Turn minus upside down and shake to remove all the excess liquid;
7.You can now enjoy clean water!
8.If Minus is not in use for more than three days, disassemble it and let the filter dry to prevent degradation