Minus 淨水器 by Anastasia Klimova is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award 鐵獎 in 可持續產品設計 Competition Category.

鐵可持續產品· 2021

Minus 淨水器

by Anastasia Klimova

Client: Anastasia Klimova

A' Design Award 鐵獎 Winner in 可持續產品 Category

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Colors

The Design

About Minus 淨水器

Minus係一款可重複使用、零廢棄嘅便攜式水龍頭濾水器。Minus利用水龍頭嘅水壓將水推過一個由活性椰殼炭製成嘅濾芯,去除化學物質、細菌同異味。機身以不鏽鋼製造,並塗上橡膠塗層,喺濕水時都可以保持良好手感。濾芯內含天然靛藍色素,會隨住使用逐漸褪色,清楚顯示幾時需要更換。用完嘅濾芯可以寄返,經清潔同再生後重複使用,避免咗即棄濾芯所造成嘅浪費。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 鐵獎

Minus 淨水器是 A' Design Award 鐵獎得主，這是授予滿足人們對設計精良的創作所期待的專業與工業要求的優良設計的聲望認可。鐵獎得主展現出其創作者的高超技藝、高度專業化、專家級的理解力和創造能力。預計Minus 淨水器將成為一件備受推崇、令人欽佩且被珍愛的創作，既實用又創新。這件贏得 A' Design Award 鐵獎的設計整合了行業最佳實踐，並擁有與專業知識和才華相結合的稱職技術特性。Minus 淨水器因其嚴謹而受到尊重，旨在提供有助於讓世界變得更美好的生活品質改善。

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