LARQ was started with a simple vision where innovative technology can be combined with inspirational design to help people access pristine drinking water easily and sustainably. As a leading global health and wellness brand, and creator of the world's first self-cleaning water bottle, LARQ's primary objective is to disrupt current consumer behavior to help battle dependence on single-use plastic, while providing access to clean drinking water. This is a response to the shocking statistics that show how our society throws away one million plastic water bottles per minute, of which less than seven percent are recycled. The average is three single-use bottles per person per week.
While the obvious solution to reduce single-use plastic water bottle use may be to use a reusable water bottle, we found that consumers often bought multiple bottles, all unused due to common pain points: 1) they are difficult to clean, and 2) insufficient cleaning often leads to bacterial growth and a bad smell within the bottle. Often, these pain points lead customers to buy single-use plastic water bottles for convenience.
Leveraging the most advanced technology in the world, the LARQ Bottle uses proprietary and patented PureVis™ UV-C LED technology to purify water and the inner surfaces of the water bottle by eliminating harmful sources through a photochemical reaction. LARQ's hope is that the state-of-the-art technology used in the LARQ Bottle will change the way we approach both our hydration and relationship with Earth, creating a more sustainable future.
Despite the wide availability of reusable water bottles, they only account for less than 5% of the total market when compared to one-use plastic water bottles.
By coupling innovative technology with forward-thinking design, we set out to radically change the way consumers think about reusable bottles and what they can do for people and the environment. The world is producing plastic waste at an alarming rate: about 1 million plastic bottles per minute. At LARQ, we uniquely approach design and innovation with a consumer centric view rather than a technology centric view. By directly solving key consumer pain points for the existing reusable water bottles (such as smelly bottles and lack of access to clean drinking water), the LARQ Bottle technology eliminates the need for people to purchase bottled water, therefore drastically reducing single-use plastic waste in the process.
Using our proprietary and patented PureVis™ UV-C LED purification technology, the LARQ Bottle emits UV-C light at the optimal wavelength of 280 nanometers, eradicating up to 99.9999% of bio-contaminants by triggering a photochemical reaction that destroys their DNA. Our UV-C LED technology is toxic-free, energy-efficient, and lasts up to 40x longer compared to traditional UV-C light produced by Mercury tubes. Having this technology within a well-designed bottle makes the LARQ Bottle unlike any other on the market.
To further our goal in providing people access to clean water, LARQ donates 1% of proceeds to 1% for the Planet, Well Aware, and Plastic Bank in order to fund global water projects in efforts to bring safe drinking water to those who need it and intercept plastic pollution.
In 2019, LARQ sold over 75,000 units, resulting in the offset of a potential 11.7 million single-use plastic bottles that would have been used had our customers not had a solution in-hand. In 2020, we are on track to double our impact.
In addition, each bottle not only saves plastic use for the consumer, but each purchase gives back to the community.
Through LARQ’s contributions to 1% for the Planet, we pledged more than $50,000 in 2019 alone to the organization. The funding is being used, among other well deserving initiatives, to intercept ocean bound plastics and ensure clean water is accessible to more people around the globe every year.
Through LARQ's partnership with Plastic Bank, an organization that stimulates the local economies by accepting plastic waste as payment for necessary supplies, a total of 50,999 lbs (equivalent to 1,156,650 500ml bottles) of plastic has been offset through a contribution to the Social Plastic Ecosystem to fight ocean plastic and poverty.
Additionally, with our partner, Well Aware, last year, we donated 5% of every sale of the limited edition LARQ Bottle Benefit Edition - and enabled 947 people in East Africa to gain lasting access to clean water.
As we continue to grow, we hope that the technology used in the LARQ Bottle will change the way people approach wellness and our relationship with the Earth. In the meantime, we continue to play our part, contributing to organizations that bring safe water to those in need and intercepting plastic pollution.
