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Two giant strides towards creating a sustainable workplace
on Sep 30 2025
The Three Pillars of Sustainability
Sustainability is a philosophy, a way of living that allows the needs of the present to be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Environment. People. Economy. These are the three pillars of sustainability. Like a three-legged stool, a philosophy built on any two of these pillars would be unstable.
Looking after the environment and people couldn’t last for long without nurturing the economy. Protecting the environment and the economy at the expense of human wellbeing would be disastrous. To focus on people and the economy without a care for the environment would be to continue a bad habit.
For a perfect balance, all three pillars of sustainability must be respected and understood. They support a wide and diverse range of sustainable choices, from wellbeing policies, employment and training, and time management, to recycling policies, mode of building and furnishing premises, and use of space.
But let’s have a closer look at two major factors of sustainability: materials and energy.
Sustainable materials
When we’re looking at the sustainability of materials, there are several factors to consider.
If it’s an organic material …
How quickly does it grow?How far does it have to travel?Does the production of this material involve fair trade and ethical labour?
If it’s an inorganic material …
Is it recyclable?What are the environmental costs of producing it?What are the environmental costs of transportation?Again: fair trade and ethical labour?
Let’s cherry-pick a few examples of sustainable materials for a UK office.
Recycled steel
For furniture and structural applications (window frames, for example), recycled steel is a sustainability champion.
Steel, an alloy of iron (approximately 99%) and carbon (approximately 1%), is one of the strongest and most durable materials available. However, the production of steel comes at a heavy cost to the environment.
Iron occurs in ore as a compound with oxygen – most commonly, magnetite (Fe3O4) or haematite (Fe2O3). To separate the two elements, the compound is heated to a temperature of around 1,700°C, and carbon from the burning fuel combines with the oxygen to produce carbon dioxide (CO2). The resulting compound – about 96% iron and 4% carbon – is called pig iron, and this material then goes through a decarbonisation process, where it’s re-melted and exposed to oxygen, which combines with the unwanted carbon to form more carbon dioxide.
The production of steel gobbles up the Earth’s depleting fossil fuels and emits huge amounts of carbon dioxide.
Steel, though, is infinitely recyclable, with no deterioration in quality. Easily recoverable from refuse by magnetic extraction, steel is at present the world’s most recycled material, with an estimated 650 million tonnes reused, globally, every year. Production of recycled steel equates to energy savings of around 70%, and 740kg of coal per tonne of steel.
The UK steel-recycling industry is growing fast, and jobs are being created on the back of it. With local availability of recycled steel, transportation is reduced, resulting in smaller carbon footprints for the steel itself, for manufacturers, and for consumers. At Aqua Libra Co, we’re proud to incorporate recycled steel in our products.
British wood
In 2011, the Forestry Commission reported that Britain comprised 28,650 square kilometres of woodland, accounting for 11.76% of the country’s total area. Nine years later, in 2020, Britain’s woodland area had increased to 32,000 square kilometres. That’s 13% of Britain’s total area.
In response to a growing demand for home-grown materials, and with support from the Grown in Britain scheme, the British timber industry is beginning to thrive.
Grown in Britain’s stamp of approval guarantees that materials and products come from legal and sustainable UK sources. More and more businesses and consumers are choosing home-grown timber and timber products, reducing the environmental impact of transportation, and stimulating economic activity in the forestry and wood-processing sectors.
Our growing timber trade is providing employment, sustainable timber sources, and additional woodland habitat for Britain’s wildlife.
And the more woodland there is, the more carbon dioxide is sequestered, tipping the atmospheric balance in the right direction.
When you’re buying furniture or building a home office, look out for the Grown in Britain logo.
Bamboo
Bamboo is a bit of a mixed bag.
This rapidly renewable resource, which reaches maturity in just five years, needs no pesticides for healthy growth, thanks to its antibacterial properties. It absorbs up to 70% more carbon dioxide than hardwood trees, and its nutrient-rich leaves nourish and regenerate the topsoil. When harvested, it’s cut at the base of the stem, so no replanting is needed.
Bamboo only grows in tropical regions, so any bamboo products you buy will have been produced from material transported from Asia, Australia, or South America. This significant contribution to a carbon footprint, however, is offset to some degree by the carbon-negative factors associated with the plant.
Bamboo starts to lose sustainability points when it’s processed. Engineered (strand-woven) bamboo makes terrific flooring, but in the production of strand-woven bamboo, heat and chemicals are used. As for bamboo fabric, bear in mind that this description is a misnomer; it will most likely refer to the fact that natural cellulose from bamboo has been used to produce rayon, a form of plastic.
Other natural materials from renewable sources include linen and sheep’s wool, both grown in Britain – and cotton, which has a bit further to travel!
Low energy usage
All over the world, energy is being produced from renewable sources such as the sun, wind, and water. The UK has the distinction of owning eight of the world’s twelve highest-capacity offshore wind farms. However, despite innovative global efforts to reduce our reliance on the Earth’s diminishing reserves of fossil fuel, at least 80% of commercial energy is still derived from gas, coal, and crude oil.
It’s important to use energy economically.
LED lightbulbs
Lightbulbs emit energy in the form of visible light (measured in lumens) and heat. A traditional incandescent bulb will emit 85-90% heat and only 10-15% light. An LED bulb emits 20-50% heat and 50-80% light.
To produce 1600 lumens, an incandescent lightbulb will consume 100 watts, which is five to seven times more energy than an LED bulb, which consumes just 14-20 watts.
Thanks to lower energy consumption, LED lightbulbs save money and contribute to a lower level of CO2 emissions.
Electrical appliances
A desktop computer consumes, on average, around 0.1 kWh when in use. If it’s being used for eight hours a day, that’s 0.8 kWh per day, 4 kWh per (five-day) week, and 208 kWh per year. The generation of 208 kWh of electricity produces 48.5 kg of CO2 emissions.
When a computer is in sleep mode, its energy consumption falls to around one third, so if your PC is left in sleep mode overnight (about 16 hours), it will consume approximately 0.5 kWh of electricity. That’s 2.5 kWh per week and 130 kWh per year, equating to around 30 kg of CO2 emissions. If it’s left in sleep mode during weekends, that’s another 82 kWh (19 kg CO2) per year.
Turning off your computer at the end of each day saves a lot of money and energy.
When it comes to water dispensers, Aqua Libra Co products are all designed to conserve energy. Ultra-efficient refrigeration, smart-reporting technology, and our own patented twin boiler all contribute to low energy consumption. And the excellent Aqua Pure filtration system eliminates all limescale, meaning full functionality and longevity.
Contact us
If you’d like to talk to us about your project, please do get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
News
on Sep 30 2025
The Race to Zero campaign is a global initiative that was launched in June 2020 by the United Nations Framework for Climate Change (UNFCC).
Race to Zero's goal is to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, which will require a 45% reduction in CO2 emissions by the year 2030. Its longer-term goal is to reach net zero by 2050. This means that the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted and sequestered by human activity will be balanced. Net emissions will be zero.
Aqua Libra Co has joined thousands of businesses around the world to achieve this goal.
A warmer world
In 1880, the average global temperature was 13.73°C. One hundred years later, the world’s temperature had risen to 14.3°C – an average increase of 0.07°C per decade. In the 40 years from 1980 to 2020, temperatures rose to an average 14.82°C – an increase of 0.18°C per decade.
Scientists estimate that, since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the Earth’s temperature has risen 10 times faster than in any other period during the last 2,000,000 years. This recent acceleration in the rate of global warming is a direct result of human activity.
Greenhouse gases
Greenhouse gases are an essential component of the Earth’s capacity to sustain life. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and water vapour (H2O), absorb and retain heat, keeping the Earth at the optimum temperature for life to exist.
Venus’s atmosphere contains approximately 154,000 times more CO2 than Earth’s; the greenhouse effect on Venus is excessive, and the planet’s surface is hot enough to melt lead. Mars, on the other hand, has very little atmosphere, with no greenhouse effect, and its surface is frozen. As with all things to do with life, there must be a balance.
For millions of years, the balance of atmospheric greenhouse gases has fluctuated hugely, resulting in ice ages and floods. But this time it’s different. Because this time we’re causing it, and we have the power to restore the balance.
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, humans have increased the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide by approximately 47%. However, it’s not only naturally occurring greenhouse gases that we’re flushing into the atmosphere. Synthetic gases, for example, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), have extremely high global warming potential (GWP) and can remain in the atmosphere for thousands of years before being broken up by the sun’s rays.
Global efforts
It all began in 1945, at the end of World War II, when the United Nations was established for the purpose of international peace and cooperation.
The 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which was held in Stockholm, Sweden, was the first international step towards actively slowing and reversing the environmental damage that was being caused by humans.
The report begins:
“The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment … Having considered the need for a common outlook and for common principles to inspire and guide the peoples of the world in the preservation and enhancement of the human environment … [proclaims that] … To achieve this environmental goal will demand the acceptance of responsibility by citizens and communities and by enterprises and institutions at every level, all sharing equitably in common efforts.”
In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Earth Summit, as it’s more commonly known, was the launchpad for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a treaty that came into force in 1994.
Ten years on, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (also known as Earth Summit 2002 or Rio+10), was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, and a decade later, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit 2012 or Rio+20) took place in Rio de Janeiro.
The Paris Agreement, which came into force in 2016, is an international treaty within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Article 2 begins:
“This agreement, in enhancing the implementation of the Convention, including its objective, aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty.”
We’re on a mission to transform the role of water dispense.
Aqua Libra Co products are all designed to conserve energy. Thanks to ultra-efficient refrigeration and a patented twin boiler, Aqua Libra Co water dispensers consume only a small fraction of the energy it takes to boil kettles and refrigerate drinking water. Our proprietary filtration system, Aqua Pure, eliminates all limescale, ensuring full functionality and longevity.
Energy-saving technology is only half the story, though. We’re also committed to providing opportunities to reuse and refill. In promoting community-based hydration solutions that are accessible to everyone, we’re working towards the elimination of single-use plastic.
Sustainability has always been at the core of our company policy, and we’re proud to be taking an active role in this far-reaching mission to restore the balance of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere and to build a robust circular economy. We want to leave behind us a healthy world for our descendants and for every other form of life.
Find out how you can join the Race to Zero campaign.
Contact us
For more information about Aqua Libra Co products, please don’t hesitate to call us on 0800 080 6696 or email [email protected]. Alternatively, fill in the contact form. We look forward to hearing from you.
News
on Sep 29 2025
A catalogue of fatbergs
In August 2013, a 15-tonne fatberg, the size of a bus, was found in a London drain.
In September 2014, a fatberg the size of a Boeing 747 aeroplane was discovered in another London drain.
In September 2017, a 130-tonne fatberg, 250 metres long, was blocking up yet another section of London’s sewage system.
In February 2019, a 400-tonne, 250-metre-long fatberg was lodged in a Liverpool drain.
Earlier this year, in February, a monstrous fatberg, reportedly the weight of a bungalow, was discovered in a London sewer. Two months later, a 300-tonne fatberg was found to be blocking a Birmingham sewer.
What is a fatberg?
It sounds like something out of a horror movie. Something unexplainable. It sounds dangerous and threatening.
A fatberg doesn’t belong in a horror movie. And it can easily be explained. It is, however, a danger to human health and a threat to city hygiene.
Made up of flushed wet wipes, nappies, sanitary products, cotton buds, rags, food, condoms, bandages, rubber gloves, face masks, and all kinds of human debris … and bound together by huge amounts of congealed fat, oil, and grease (FOG), a fatberg is the result of inappropriate disposal practices.
Research shows that an estimated 48% of the UK population have, at some time, flushed wet wipes down the toilet, and a further 48% regularly pour fats, oils, and grease down their drains. Approximately 180 million cotton buds are flushed away every year.
As fluid waste passes through the sewers, any obstruction will cause turbulence in the flow, and as the contents swirl, debris gets trapped and consolidated.
What kind of obstruction are we talking about?
Well, it could be the rough inner surface of the pipes. Or it might be damaged brickwork or concrete. A common starting point for a fatberg blockage is an intrusive tree root.
Fatbergs cause blocked drains in homes and streets, overflowing sewers, and damage to roads and buildings. Worryingly, they can also cause water pollution.
Unblocktober
Unblocktober was launched in October 2019 by Lanes Group PLC, the largest independent drainage specialists in the UK.
The purpose of Unblocktober is to raise awareness of the problems caused by improper waste disposal – from the health hazards of sewage overflow and flooding, to the serious plastic pollution of the Earth’s oceans.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, there’s been a significant increase in the amount of “un- flushable” waste being flushed down the toilet.
Unblocktober 2021 focuses on the idea of New World, New Habits. This year is about encouraging people to make changes to the way we dispose of waste. It’s about developing new habits and coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic with a new outlook on sustainability.
How to dispose of cooking fat
Never pour fat or oil down the drain – especially animal fat, like butter, lard, or meat fat. Pour the used grease into an eggbox, and when it’s cool, put the eggbox in the bin.
Alternatively, pour the fat into a glass dish, and when it’s cool, wipe it out of the dish, into the bin.
Sign up to Unblocktober 2021
If you’re interested in joining thousands of others in this year’s mission to change the way we dispose of waste, sign upto Unblocktober 2021.
News
Three New Year’s Resolutions for Sustainability
on Sep 29 2025
If you’re thinking about making some changes that will have a positive impact on the environment, then here are three simple things you can do:
Eat a vegan diet
Save electricity in the home and office
Refill
1. Environmental impact of a vegan diet
Vegan diets are associated with huge reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions.
In the last 50 years, the world’s human population has doubled. With this explosion in numbers, milk production has also doubled. Meat production has tripled.
There are approximately 2,400,000,000 domesticated cattle and sheep on Earth, and forests are being cleared to make room for animal-feed crops. With deforestation, atmospheric carbon dioxide increases because of the reduction in CO2-sequestering plant life. And all those livestock are emitting methane gas into the atmosphere.
It’s estimated that if the world’s population began eating a vegan diet today, atmospheric greenhouse gases would be 70% reduced by 2050.
2. Save electricity in the home
In October 1881, the Savoy Theatre became the first public building to be lit throughout by electricity. Theatre producer Richard D’Oyly Carte demonstrated the safety of the bulbs to the nervous audience by breaking one on stage before the curtain rose on a performance of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Patience.
Today, we’re all so accustomed to electricity, we hardly notice it.
“The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it.” Mark D Weiser, American computer pioneer
And because we hardly notice it, we don’t always think about how we’re using it.
Light bulbs
Of the energy emitted by a traditional incandescent light bulb, only 10-15% is in the form of visible light, which is measured in lumens. The majority (85-90%) is heat. That’s a lot of energy wasted, especially if you need to compensate for unwanted heat by opening windows.
An LED bulb, however, emits up to 80% light and as little as 20% heat.
If an LED bulb and an incandescent bulb were each to emit 1600 lumens, the incandescent bulb would consume 0.1 kW-h of energy, whereas the LED bulb would use about 0.02 kW-h of energy.
By using LED bulbs, which consume only one fifth of the energy used by incandescent bulbs, families can contribute to the preservation of the world’s fossil fuels and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
Turn appliances off
Each year, the average UK household is responsible for 50kg of carbon dioxide emissions simply by leaving appliances on standby. Televisions, computers, and DVD players are frequently left on standby all day, every day. Turning these devices off when they’re not in use will contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.
When in use, a desktop computer typically consumes about 0.1 kW-h. That’s 0.8 kW-h in an eight- hour day, 4 kW-h per five-day week, and 208 kW-h per year. The generation of 208 kW-h of electricity produces 48.5 kg of carbon dioxide gas.
In sleep mode, the desktop’s energy consumption is reduced to about one third. Therefore, left in sleep mode for 16 hours overnight, the computer will consume approximately 0.5 kW-h of electricity, which amounts to 2.5 kW-h per week and 130 kW-h annually. The generation of 130 kW-h of electricity produces 30kg of carbon dioxide emissions, and if the computer is left in sleep mode at weekends, too, that’s another 82 kW-h of energy and 19kg of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
Switching off a computer when it’s not in use goes a long way to slowing down global warming.
3. Refill
What processes are involved in the manufacture of plastic water bottles?
First of all, there’s the extraction of raw material – mainly oil. Then there’s the production of plastic resins. Resins are melted and formed into bottles, and the bottles are filled with water. Discarded bottles are recycled, incinerated, or put in landfill.
Transportation occurs between every stage of the bottles’ lifecycle – from the source of fossil fuel to manufacturing plant, to bottle factory, to bottling site, to wholesalers, to retailers, to end-of-life destination.
Each of these processes consumes energy. By-products include carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide – greenhouse gases that retain heat in the atmosphere for many years.
With plastic bottles, the damage isn’t confined to the manufacturing processes. Plastic will take between 500 and 1,000 years to decompose, and in that time, ecosystems will be damaged by microplastics that are absorbed into the food chain.
Well, that’s enough doom and gloom! This is all about prevention. The only way to slow down the manufacture of single-use plastic is to cut off demand, and the solution is to refill.
Whether you’re buying a takeaway coffee or grabbing a drink of water,refilling a reusable mug or bottle will save a piece of single-use plastic from being sold.
News
on Sep 29 2025
Why is plastic made?
Because we use it.
It’s as simple as that.
It’s Plastic-Free July, and we’re looking at some of the things we can do to reduce the amount of plastic waste we generate in our daily lives.
Excessive packaging has become a habit. We hardly notice it anymore. But habits are never set in stone. They’re as flexible as plastic itself. After all, the word “plastic” derives from the Ancient Greek plassein, “to mould”.
What is a revolution?
From Latin revolvere, “to roll back (re, “back” + volvere “to roll”), a revolution is a wide-reaching change in conditions or attitudes – a radical shift in social or political structure.
The concept of rolling back is particularly apt when thinking about the refill revolution. We get a sense of time folding back on itself, to the days when milk bottles were routinely returned and refilled; when sweets, vegetables, meat, tea, sugar, salt, soap, and other daily commodities were purchased loose; when we carried our shopping in reusable bags; to the days when our dustbins weren’t so full.
The Refill app
Developed by the UK-based environmental agency, City to Sea, the free Refill app has already connected 300,000 consumers with 274,000 refill stations all over the world, and millions of pieces of plastic have been kept out of the system. Thousands of refill stations are offering free water refills, saving, to date, 100,000,000 plastic bottles.
Hot drinks refill
In a 2019 report by the House of Commons Environment Audit Committee, the focus was on single-use coffee cups.
The UK coffee industry is growing rapidly. Almost half of all coffees and hot drinks are now sold in disposable cups. There are more than four times as many coffee shops today as there were in the year 2000, and 1 in 5 of us visit a coffee shop every day. Coffee is also widely available in supermarkets and garages.
Disposable coffee cups are made from a paper fibre that’s tightly bonded with a polyethylene lining. Although each of these materials is, in theory, recyclable, coffee cups are seldom recycled. Tax-payers’ funds just won’t stretch to the expensive task of separating the materials.
Many coffee shops are now inviting customers to use their own reusable cups, and, in many cases, rewarding refill customers with a discount. As more and more coffee shops sign up to the Refill campaign, the annual number of single-use coffee cups is being whittled down.
Free water refills
More than 250,000 outlets, globally, are offering free water refills.
One of these refill stations belongs to RHC (Rhubarb Hospitality Collection). Earlier this year, RHC installed an Aqua Link system at The Market, in London’s famous skyscraper, 22 Bishopsgate, London.
“We were impressed with the energy-efficiency of the system and its low running costs, and we liked the idea of distributing water through pipes from one centralised point.”
RHC shares our own commitment to a sustainable economy.
“When it comes to water, our goal is to provide fresh, great-tasting water in a sustainable way. We’re looking to roll out the hydration solutions across all the other sites and to drive our sustainability programme forward.”
Contact us
To talk to us about Aqua Libra Co water dispensers, call 0800 080 6696 or email [email protected]. For a quote, please complete the online quote form.
News
on Sep 29 2025
When the world’s population works together, massive goals can be achieved.
That’s what happened in the case of the Montreal Protocol.
In the mid-1980s, it was discovered that certain synthesised chemicals, particularly chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), were causing a depletion in the ozone (O3) content of the Earth’s stratosphere, posing a danger to all life on Earth. This environmental crisis brought about global efforts to limit, and, as far as possible, reverse, the environmental damage caused by humans. In September 1987, almost 200 members of the United Nations ratified the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Over the last 30 years, there’s been a steady repair of the damaged ozone layer.
And that’s what the 2015 Paris Agreement is all about.
Once again, United Nations members committed to a huge environmental goal: to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by the year 2050.
Greenhouse gases are essential for supporting life on Earth. Carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapour (H2O), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) are all naturally occurring gases that absorb and release energy from the sun, keeping the planet at a suitable temperature for living organisms. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, in the mid-1700s, humans have been emitting an overload of greenhouse gases, and the long-standing status quo has been rocked.
Manufacturing synthetic polymers – whether from petroleum or biological sources – takes a lot of energy and creates a lot of CO2 emissions. Managing waste plastic takes another lot of energy and creates more CO2 emissions. But beyond the manufacture and disposal of plastic, there’s another problem: plastic itself.
Plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose, and in that time, it breaks down into microplastics that can be harmful to wildlife. Microplastics have made their way into the food chain, and scientists estimate that we – and all other animals – ingest microplastics with everything we eat. From microscopic polymers small enough to pass through cell walls, to large, recently abandoned plastic items that entangle or choke animals, synthesised materials are causing long-term damage to the world’s ecosystems.
This Plastic-Free July, we’ve been looking at examples of single-use plastic – including chewing gum, teabags, carrier bags, cling film, and the Refill app.
In this article, we’re looking at plastic drinking straws.
History of the straw
Ancient civilisations used drinking straws. In one Sumerian tomb, a golden, bejewelled straw was discovered. It’s estimated to be around 5,000 years old.
Hollow grasses were customarily used for drinking straws – hence the word “straw” – until the late 1800s …
2 early patents for drinking straws
On Tuesday, 24 May 1870, American inventor Eugene Chapin of Missouri was granted the patent (US103300A) for his Drinking Tube for Invalids.
On Tuesday, 22 April 1879, another American, William Brown, from Connecticut, patented his Utensil for Mixing and Imbibing Liquids.
From patent application US214617A:
The invention consists in a [metal] utensil composed of a hollow body, provided with perforations for the entrance of liquid, and a tubular stem through which liquid may be drawn. The hollow body is preferably concave upon one of its sides, to enable it to be conveniently used as a mixer or stirrer, and convex upon the opposite side, to adapt it for use in crushing various solid ingredients.
Marvin Stone and his Artificial Straw
Tuesday, 3 January 1888, American inventor Marvin Stone of Columbia was granted a patent for his Artificial Straw, which he invented because he was fed up with the grassy flavour that natural ryegrass straws gave to his drinks. Mr Stone’s artificial straw had already been patented in England on 8 July the year before.
From patent application US375962A:
The aim of my invention is to provide a cheap, durable, and unobjectionable substitute for the natural straws commonly used for the administration of medicines, beverages, &c; and to this end it consists, essentially, in a straw formed by winding a paper strip into tubular form and securing the final or outer edge by an adhesive material, the whole being coated with paraffine or other waterproof material.
On Tuesday, 22 June 1897, Stone was granted another patent (US585058A) – this time, for his Artificial Double Straw.
Marvin Stone established the Stone Straw Company, which is still operating in Ontario, Canada, making biodegradable paper straws.
Joseph Friedman and his bendy straw
When Joseph Friedman saw his little girl, Judith, struggling to drink through a straight straw, he was inspired to invent the Drinking Tube. This first bendy straw was created by inserting a screw into a paper straw and winding dental floss around the straw, following the thread of the screw.
From patent application US2094268A:
… With a flexible section so positioned that the tube may be bent during use without substantially reducing the diameter of the straw … [the] mouthpiece end of the straw may then be angularly directed to enter the mouth readily without the customer assuming an awkward position.
Mr Friedman was granted the patent for his bendy straw on 28 September 1937 and he founded the Flex-Straw Company in 1939.
And yes, 28 September 1937 was a Tuesday!
An end to 70 years of plastic straws
By the 1960s, plastic straws – made from polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, or polyethylene – were the norm. The infrastructure was in place to mass-produce plastic straws, to the point where they were cheaper to make than paper ones. Paper straws were now undesirable and, quite frankly, passé. (Do you remember, as a child, your disappointment when you were given a paper straw?)
Scientists and environmentalists all over the world have been working hard to bring attention to the horrific facts of plastic pollution. For example, it’s estimated that between 400,000,000 and 8,000,000,000 plastic straws are polluting the world’s oceans. Evocative photographs of wild animals, injured by discarded plastics, have played a significant role in persuading people to rethink the way we use plastic.
Earlier this year, in England, a ban on single-use plastic straws, cotton buds, and drink stirrers came into effect. Guidance was published by the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in September 2020.
In the residences of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, who has been inspired by the much-admired British Environmentalist, David Attenborough, drinking straws and other single-use plastics have been banned since 2018.
Alternative materials for drinking straws
Okay, so single-use plastic straws are off the menu. What can we use instead?
Silicone straws
Silicone is a plastic that can be used and washed repeatedly, has no taste of its own, and doesn’t support microbiological growth. Soft on the mouth and highly flexible, silicone drinking straws are particularly suitable for children, and their durability means that they’re ideal for carrying around. Silicone straws are dishwasher safe and can be sterilised in boiling water. Packs of straws usually include a cleaning brush.
At the end of their useful life, silicone straws can be recycled.
Stainless steel
The chromium content of stainless steel prevents rusting and protects against corrosion. Stainless steel straws are easily cleaned and, like silicone straws, can be sterilised in boiling water. Because stainless steel straws are inflexible, they’re available with angled heads. You’ll find packs that include a mixture of straight and angled straws. In most packs, a cleaning brush is included.
Stainless steel is infinitely recyclable.
Bamboo straws
Bamboo is an extremely fast-growing grass and one of the world’s most sustainable crops. The sustainability of bamboo is lessened, however, when the material is shipped long distances from its source – to the UK, for example. As with silicone and stainless-steel straws, packs of bamboo drinking straws often include a cleaning brush.
The best thing about bamboo drinking straws is their total biodegradability.
Contact us
To talk to us about Aqua Libra Co water dispensers, call 0800 080 6696 or email [email protected]. For a quote, please complete the online quote form.
News
on Sep 29 2025
“Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.”
Annually, on 22nd March, environmental and health organisations around the world publicly advocate the importance of sustainable water sourcing. Each year, World Water Day has a special theme, and this year, the theme is “Groundwater – Making the Invisible Visible”.
The Importance of Groundwater
Groundwater accounts for about 50% of the world’s drinking water, 40% of its irrigation water, and around 33% of water used in industry. This freshwater is sourced from aquifers, which are bodies of rock that hold water within the pores of porous rock and within the cavities and cracks of non-porous rock. Aquifers close to the surface are more quickly replenished by rainwater than those deeper in the Earth’s crust.
The problem is, water is pumped from aquifers at a faster rate than it’s being replaced, and deeper wells are being drilled to reach the deepest aquifers. As an aquifer’s water content is depleted, resistance against the pressure of the ground above is reduced, often causing subsidence and reducing the rock’s capacity to hold water. To exacerbate the situation, highly developed areas form an impervious barrier to rainwater, preventing the replenishment of aquifers.
With human activities intersecting with water-flow pathways, it’s not unusual for groundwater to be contaminated with fertilizers, pesticides, solvents, and pharmaceuticals. Landscape disturbance from mining will sometimes introduce geogenic (i.e. naturally occurring) contaminants to groundwater resources.
A New Job for Emma
When Emma Gardner, an experienced marketing manager, joined the Aqua Libra Co marketing team in March this year, she knew there’d be a lot to learn.
We suggested getting her up to speed by running through her role and responsibilities.
Emma said that would be great.Go at your own speed, she was told. Pace yourself.
Okay.
We told Emma we were sure she’d last the distance.... And then we told her about the World Water run.
Emma had definitely hit the floor running.
World Water Run 2022
At Aqua Libra Co we’re running before work, after work, during lunchtimes, and at weekends. The money we raise through sponsorship will be donated to WaterAid, a charity we’re always keen to support.
WaterAid is an international non-governmental organisation, focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene. It was set up in 1981 as a response to the UN International Drinking Water decade (1981–1990). As of 2018, it was operating in 34 countries.
The organization, which was founded as a charitable trust by the UK water industry at their main office premises in London on 21 July 1981, established first projects in Zambia and Sri Lanka.
This amazing organisation is striving for a world where everyone, everywhere, has safe and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene. WaterAid changes millions of lives every year, working in 28 countries to provide clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene.
Mina Guli
When it comes to matters of the environment, Australian business woman, Mina Guli, is one of the world’s most influential campaigners. She has pushed her body to the limit to capture our attention. Now she has it. Mina is at last getting through to us all the desperate need to preserve our most precious resource: water.
In her youth, Mina sustained a serious back injury. The prognosis was that she’d never be able to run again. But Mina says, “I saw it as an opportunity to redefine my limits.”
In 2016, Mina ran across seven deserts in seven continents, completing 40 marathons in just 49 days.
Tabernas Desert, Spain (Europe). About 70% of Spain’s water is used for agriculture. Much of it is wasted through inefficient irrigation systems.
Arabian Desert, Jordan (Asia). Jordan's water supply is enough to sustain 4 million people, but the population is now 10 million. The amount of water lost as a result of poor infrastructure could satisfy the needs of 6 million people.
Polar Desert (Antarctica). About 70% of the Earth’s fresh water is in the Antarctica ice caps.
Simpson Desert, Australia (Australia). Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth, with the least amount of water in rivers and the smallest area of permanent wetlands.
Richtersveld Semi-Desert, South Africa (Africa). South Africa is losing the equivalent of 4.3 million swimming pools of water a year because of leaky pipes and theft. Water demand is expected to outstrip supply as early as 2025.
Atacama Desert, Chile (South America). Due to drought, people living on Chile's coastline survive on around eight litres of water per day. Showering isn't an option.
Mojave Desert, USA (North America). In California, 4 trillion litres of water is used per year to farm almonds. Farmers are making more money selling their water supply than growing produce.
In 2017, Mina ran along six rivers on six different continents; that’s 40 marathons in 40 days.
Colorado (North America)
Amazon (South America)
Murray Darling (Australia)
Yangtze (Asia)
Nile (Africa)
Thames (Europe)
In 2019, Mina Guli set out to run 100 marathons in 100 days. After 62 days – and 62 marathons – she collapsed with a broken leg. To her surprise, supporters all over the world ran for the cause, because she no longer could.
Running with Mina
Between 16th and 22nd March, people all over the world have been running to raise money and awareness for environmental causes. The team at Aqua Libra Co, located in different parts of the country, have clocked up several hundred kilometres between them.
On her first day at Aqua Libra Co, Emma Gardner, based in Birmingham, cheerfully pledged to run/walk 15km. Or so she thought …
Emma’s diary
Friday:
Well, there I was believing it was a 15km target, only to find out I’d actually signed up to complete 30km. I started my challenge with a slow 5km run. (Phew! I really need to up my game.)
Saturday:
I was out by 7am and managed to complete a 6.2km run before taking the kids to gymnastics and football training.
Sunday:
This evening I went for a slow, unenthused jog. I managed 5.7km. Wish I’d remembered about the run before I tucked into that huge Sunday roast. It was a struggle.
Monday:
At lunchtime, I walked 3.2km. After work, I took my 10-year-old son out with me for moral support. He wasn’t all that keen, but I promised I’d buy him some sweets when we got back. I clocked up 8.1km.
Tuesday:
At lunchtime, I trotted round the block for 1.6km. I thought I’d reached my target of 30km, but when I did the sums, I found I’d done 29.8km! When I put my trainers on this evening, I just planned to run the last 200 metres, but I was so relieved I’d succeeded, I carried on running! I ran for 2.3km, making a total of 32.1km.
Did you run?
The Aqua Libra team clocked up 750km, with many of us surpassing individual goals. If you ran with Mina for this year’s World Water Day, we’d love to hear about it. And why not help spread the message by sharing this article on social media.
News
on Sep 29 2025
What is World Tourism Day?
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is the United Nations’ agency for responsible and sustainable tourism.
UNWTO’s mission is to promote tourism – a recognised pillar of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development– as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development, and environmental sustainability.
The UNWTO statutes were adopted on Sunday 27 September 1970; the very first World Tourism Day took place 10 years later, on Saturday 27 September 1980.
The purpose of World Tourism Day is to “recognise the power and potential of tourism to advance prosperity and drive inclusive, sustainable development.” (Georgian Zurab Pololikashvili, UNWTO Secretary-General)
Monday, 27 September 2021 is the 42nd World Tourism Day, and this year’s designated theme is Tourism for Inclusive Growth.
Water plays a vital role in sustainable development – in terms of industry, transport, health, hygiene, and recreation. Hydration, of course, is essential for good health.
So, to mark World Tourism Day 2021, we’re going to take a brief look at the hydration cultures of three different countries.
Drinking fountains in France
In France, wine is an important part of the dining experience, and the French have a reputation for drinking a lot of it. But at any meal table in France – whether it’s at home or in a restaurant – there’ll also be a jug of water.
The French are conscientious about staying hydrated, and this is evidenced by the vast number of public water fountains located all over the country – Paris in particular. A few 16th and 17th century fountains are still standing, and of the 30 Parisian fountains built in the eighteenth century, 14 survive today. Besides more recently constructed fountains, there are around 100 green cast-iron Wallace fountains.
Richard Wallace (1818-1890) was an English philanthropist who lived and worked in Paris – a city he loved dearly. The aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War (July 1870-May 1871) brought a shortage of fresh drinking water, and Paris’s poor were turning to alcohol, which was cheaper. So, in 1872, Richard Wallace paid for dozens of beautiful drinking-water fountains to be installed in the city.
The eye-catching Wallace fountains were made of green cast iron and designed by the French sculptor, Charles Auguste Lebourg (1826-1906).
In recent years, as part of an initiative to reduce the number of single-use plastic bottles purchased in France, brand-new water fountains have sprung up in French cities.
National drinks of Chile
Aqua Libra Co has a close connection to Chile. Why? Because our popular Aqua Altotap is named after Chile’s 6km-high mountain peak, Alto San Juan.
For millennia, runoffs from Andean glaciers have been the main source of fresh water for Chilean communities. In the past 50 years, however, the glaciers’ mass has reduced by around 30%. Alarmingly, the melting rate is accelerating.
Chile has some wonderful traditional drinks, so staying hydrated in this warm, South American country is a tasty business!
Here’s a couple of Chile’s most popular soft drinks.
Mote con huesillo
Mote con huesillo is a sweet, non-alcoholic drink made with dried peaches and husked wheat.
Dried peaches are soaked for several hours, typically
The rehydrated peaches are cooked in sugary water – often with
Sugar (or molasses) is heated in a pan until
The caramel is added to the peaches and
The husked wheat is cooked in water until tender, and then
The cooked wheat is added to the peach syrup and
Chilled Mote con huesillo is served in a glass, with a
Bilz y Pap
Bilz y (“and”) Pap are two popular soft drinks produced by the beverage corporation, Compañía de Cervecerías Unidas (CCU), Chile’s second-largest producer of soft drinks.
Bilz is an artificially flavoured, red-coloured drink invented by a German naturopath called Friedrich Eduard Bilz. Pap is a yellow, papaya-flavoured drink. The two are sold separately in shops and restaurants in Chile and other South American countries, but they’re best known as a combination: Bilz y Pap.
Water with a meal? Not in Japan
Go to a restaurant in Japan, and you’ll probably be offered a very small cup of water with your meal; not the huge glass of water that you get in a Western country.
This is partly to do with the Japanese diet (boiled rice and vegetables, etc), which contains a lot more water than the typical UK diet.
But there’s another reason. Many Eastern cultures believe that water taken with a meal will dilute the saliva, which can have a detrimental effect on digestion (a stance shared by some Western dieticians).
It’s said that:
Diluted saliva suppresses the release of gastric
Reduced gastric juices will lower the natural acidity of the
Low gastric acidity hampers absorption of nutrients and
Undigested food is converted to fat, which can lead to weight gain and
Long live the difference!
The wonderful thing about tourism is the opportunity to experience diverse cultures and to celebrate the difference. So …
Vive la difference!
Viva la diferencia!
Chigai o nagaiki sa seru!
Contact us
To talk to us about energy-efficient water dispensers, including the gesture-controlled Aqua Touchless, call 0800 080 6696 or email [email protected]. For a quote, please complete the online quote form.
News
Aqua Libra Co Supports World Refill Day
on Sep 29 2025
Aqua Libra Co is working towards minimising human impact on the environment. Our products are helping to reduce the demand for single-use plastics, and our technology consumes a fraction of the energy used by kettles and refrigerators.
At Aqua Libra Co, we’re committed to promoting and facilitating a refill culture.
“From little ripples, mighty waves flow”
This is the mantra of City to Sea, the environmental agency campaigning to prevent plastic pollution by eliminating the demand for single-use plastic products.
City to Sea was established in Bristol, six years ago. The small group of passionate environmentalists, whose geographical parameters were initially restricted to Bristol, have already made a huge and far-reaching impact on public attitudes to single-use plastic. Through dedicated campaigning and gritty determination, City to Sea have become a global influencer.
The Refill Revolution
In 2016, Nat (City to Sea founder), Olivia, Thomas, and Gus won the Geovation Water Challenge. The team pitched their idea of an app to pinpoint and endorse free tap water refill points nationwide. With the Community Award prize of £1,000, City to Sea were able to develop the app and the campaign.
This is how the scheme works. Organisations sign up as a refill station – for cold and hot drinks, take-away food, groceries, cleaning products etc. They put a sticker in the window to signal their participation, and the venue is featured on the app.
Reduced packaging costs and increased turnover from the free advertising are having a positive financial impact on many of the businesses taking part in the Refill Revolution.
As of June 2021, there have been approximately 300,000 app downloads, and more than 30,000 locations have joined the Refill Revolution.
Single-use bottles and coffee cups
In 2019, the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee reported that 2.5 billion coffee cups were being thrown away each year in the UK, and that just 0.25% of them were being recycled.
Recycling, though, isn’t a solution to the problem of plastic pollution. Plastics are made of polymers that break down as they’re melted and restructured, so a certain amount of virgin material is required in every batch. Plastics take many years to decompose, and as more and more plastic is made, the net amount is rapidly increasing.
Now for some good news. As a result of the Refill Campaign, an estimated 100,000,000 bottles have been prevented from entering the waste stream.
And there’s more good news. A single Aqua illi or Aqua Alto tap will dispense as much as 45 litres of hot or cold drinking water per hour. That’s the equivalent of 90 500ml plastic bottles or up to 180 disposable coffee cups.
For more information about how Aqua Libra Co water dispensers can contribute to a plastic-free world, call us on 0800 080 6696 or email [email protected]
News
Why Are Plant-Based Diets Becoming So Popular?
on Sep 29 2025
All over the world, the popularity of veganism is growing. Few countries, however, are embracing the trend as enthusiastically as the UK.
In 2014, there were 150,000 (0.25% of the population) vegans in the UK. In 2019, there were 600,000 (1.21% of the population). In a period of five years, the number of vegans in the UK quadrupled, and almost a quarter of new products launched in the UK that year were labelled as vegan.
Consumer research in 2021 showed that 15% of Brits had completely cut out dairy products from their diets, and another 42% had reduced their dairy intake.
A 2022 survey of UK plant-based food trends revealed that 48% of adults in the UK are using plant-based milk alternatives, and 58% are using plant-based meat alternatives. Almost half of those who took part in the survey expressed an intent to reduce their intake of animal products.
There are four main philosophical reasons for adopting a plant-based diet:
Religion
Health
Animal rights
Sustainability
Religion
India has the lowest rate of meat consumption in the world. This tendency towards a plant-based diet is connected to ahimsa – the ideology of non-violence – which forms the basis of India’s main religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
There are approximately 1.6 billion Hindus in the world, with about 1.1 billion living in India … May all beings look at me with a friendly eye, may I do likewise, and may we look at each other with the eyes of a friend. Yajurveda (a religious text)
India is home to around 8.4 million of the world’s 507 million Buddhists … All living things fear being beaten with clubs. All living things fear being put to death. Putting oneself in the place of the other, let no-one kill nor cause another to kill. Dhammapada (Buddhist scripture)
About 4.5 million people in India practise Jainism … There is no virtue of spirit greater than reverence for life. Mahavira (24th Tirthankara)
Followers of these three religions represent approximately 81.5% of India’s total population. Although Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism don’t preclude meat consumption, the philosophy of ahimsa does influence people’s choices. However, the influence is more towards vegetarianism than veganism.
Health (dietary veganism)
Animal-food diets are associated with higher cardiovascular morbidity. High intake of plant-based foods, on the other hand, reduces the risk of heart disease. Animal foods – meat, milk, eggs, and their derivatives – contain saturated fats. Eating a lot of these foods can lead to high cholesterol levels, which increase the risk of stroke and heart disease.
Animal foods contain very little fibre, whereas vegetables and grains are good sources of fibre. A fibre-rich diet helps keep cholesterol levels low.
Meat has been categorised by the World Health Organisation as carcinogenic. A plant-based diet reduces the risk of cancer.
Animal rights (abolitionist veganism)
Abolitionist veganism is a philosophy based on the right of all sentient beings not to be treated as property or resources. The word vegan was coined in 1944 by a leading campaigner for abolitionism, Donald Watson.
Abolitionist veganism objects to animal welfare movements that endorse humane treatment of sentient property, because the concept leads to public complacence and general acceptability of animal exploitation.
Abolitionist vegans also stand against using dietary health as an incentive for veganism, as this motive of self-interest obscures the point of abolitionism.
Sustainability (environmental veganism)
Animal farming contributes to global warming and threatens biodiversity.
Approximately 5 billion hectares (38%) of the world’s land surface is used for agriculture. Two thirds of this land is grazing pasture for livestock, and the rest is cropland. Roughly one third of the cropland is used to grow feed for livestock.
Forests are destroyed to make space for farmland. Reduced foliage means reduced CO2 absorption, causing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to rise. Deforestation leads to reduced biodiversity – another threat to the world’s ecosystems.
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the concentration of atmospheric methane has more than doubled. Methane is a by-product of enteric fermentation, the organic decomposition by microorganisms (methanogens) in the digestive systems of ruminants. At present there are more than 264 million dairy cows worldwide, all emitting methane gas.
Reduced demand for animal-based foods will lead to reduced production.
Businesses all over the world are working together to bring about cultural and economic changes that will help us achieve net zero by 2050.
KOJO, in Devonshire Square, London, is one of those businesses. Specialising in 100% plant-based juices, shakes, and baked goods. KOJO’s sustainability agenda goes beyond veganism. The brand has joined City-to-Sea’s Refill Revolution and is working towards eliminating single-use plastics by offering free chilled and ambient drinking water to customers from two self-service Aqua Alto taps. Read more on our project with KOJO here.
Reduced demand for single-use plastic will lead to reduced production of plastic.
Contact Aqua Libra Co
If you’d like to talk to us about sustainable hydration solutions, give us a call on 0800 080 6696 or email [email protected].
You may also like to read about how to specify sustainable, innovative drinking-water systems.
News
on Sep 29 2025
As part of a product’s carbon footprint, embodied carbon is a measurement system used to calculate the sustainability of new development.
The carbon footprint is a concept that’s central to the practice of sustainable development. It’s an accounting system devised for quantifying the economy’s impact on the environment. A carbon footprint can be attributed to any strand of the economy, from social groups to organisations, to industry sectors, geographical areas, and nations.
What is embodied carbon?
An embodied carbon score represents the amount of greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere during a product’s lifecycle, excluding operational carbon.
Embodied carbon, which accounts for a major portion of a product’s total carbon footprint, includes the extraction and processing of raw materials, manufacture, transportation, assembly, maintenance, disassembly, and disposal. Operational emissions are not included as part of a product’s embodied carbon score. Where operational emissions are extremely low, embodied carbon can represent as much as 50% of a product’s total carbon footprint.
Early theories of embodied energy
In the 18th and 19th centuries, economists were exploring the concept of an energy footprint.
The focus was on manual labour.
Adam Smith (1723-1790), a Scottish economist and philosopher, known as the Father of Economics, or the Father of Capitalism, was one of the first to subscribe to the Labour Theory of Value (LTV).
In his famous book, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (usually referred to as The Wealth of Nations), published in 1776, Smith says:
“Labour is the real measure of the exchangeable value of all commodities.”
Ukrainian socialist, Sergei Podolinsky (1850-1891), developed a Labour Theory of Value based on embodied energy.
From Podolinsky’s essay, Socialism and the Unity of Physical Forces, published in 1880:
“In accepting the theory of the unity of physical forces or of the constancy of energy, we are also forced to admit that nothing can be created, in the strict sense of the word, through labour, and that consequently, all the usefulness of labour, the goal for which it strives, can be nothing other than a transposition of a certain quantity of forces.”
Ecological economics
Ecological economics is a branch of economics that was developed in the 1980s. Concerned with sustainable development and the management of renewable resources, ecological economics positions human economic activity as a subsystem of the Earth’s ecosystem. This philosophy audits the economy’s ecological footprint.
In the context of ecological economics, a distinction is drawn between “growth” and “development”. Economic growth implies consumption of natural capital, resulting in impoverished resources. Economic development, on the other hand, is a sustainable process, which makes use of natural capital without compromising the availability of natural resources.
American biologist, Paul Ralph Ehrlich (born 1932), said, “Economic growth as it now goes on is more of a disease of civilisation than a cure for its woes.”
Inventory of Carbon and Energy
The Inventory of Carbon and Energy (ICE) database was originally developed by researchers at the University of Bath, in collaboration with the Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA), for use in the construction industry. Its purpose was to promote and enable sustainable development.
In its introduction, BSRIA says:
“Building services engineers need to understand about embodied energy … [and they need to] understand the trade-offs between high embodied carbon and low operational carbon and vice versa.”
The ICE database provides unit values. For example: each kg of limestone will contribute 0.01577kg of CO2 to a building’s total embedded carbon; for each kg of gypsum, it’s 0.002536kg of CO2; one kg of fly ash contributes 0.004kg of CO2.
The unit values for a material are multiplied according to the quantity used. For example, 10kg of limestone has a carbon score of 0.1577(kg CO2); for 15kg of gypsum, it’s 0.03804(kg CO2); and for 20kg of fly ash, it’s 0.08(kg CO2).
The carbon scores of all materials are added together. The examples above give us a sum of 0.27574(kg CO2).
Contact Aqua Libra Co
At Aqua Libra Co, we’re committed to sustainable development and the Race to Zero. Simple, robust, and energy efficient, our products have low embodied carbon, and in operational terms, they’re market leaders. Aqua illi, Aqua Alto, and Aqua Bottlers are all ideal components in a sustainable building.
To talk to us about energy-efficient water dispensers, BREEAM credits, or anything else, give us a call on 0800 080 6696 or email [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.