An Overview Of Our Solution
Cleanwave.org is a dynamic movement of like minded individuals who recognise the urgent need to provide sustainable alternatives to single use disposable plastic bottles on the Balearic Islands and beyond - the islands of Mallorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Menorca which are the launch pad for a global movement.
We consume 1,5 million plastic beverage bottles a day in the Balearic Islands. With well over 13 million visitors to the islands each year, the incalculable amount of plastic waste continues to threaten the sustainability of our natural resources and the sea.
Cleanwave sets out to make drinking water freely accessible, and minimizing plastic waste through the various #cleanwavemovement campaigns.
- Population Impacted: 13000000
- Continent: Europe
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Context Analysis
The aim of Cleanwave is making drinking water freely accessible across the Balearic Islands and reducing single-use plastic water bottles, by raising awareness and growing a network of private and public refill stations. Changes and implementations are only possible through collaboration with local governments, water suppliers, the public, other environmental organisations, as well as private entities. Collaboration is the key and the lever for implementing solutions to solve the plastic crisis and its impact on climate change. Information is key in raising awareness of current pollution and future solutions. Reasons for dependence in plastics and recurring problems are:
- Access to safe drinking water and disposable plastics bottles are intrinsically linked on the Mediterranean.
- There is a lack of confidence in tap water
- There is no deposit system in place for the return of empty plastic water bottles.
- Not all residents on the islands are aware of sorting their wa
Describe the technical solution you wanted the target audience to adopt
Public Fountains
Water Fountains designed for outdoor public places. Cleanwave water stations include fitted industry approved drink safe plumbing components. They are fitted with a 5 micron carbon water filter as standard which is easy to remove if not required or replaced. To install these fountains in various cities, we need collaborations between the local governments (providing permission), water providers, and finding donors to pay for the water fountains.
Cleanwave App
The Cleanwave App (which can be downloaded on both IOS and Android app stores) shows the nearest refill point where the bottle can be refilled for free with potable water.
Stainless Steel Cleanwave Bottles
The Cleanwave bottle is made of stainless steel (exists both double wall and single wall), and is the "movement" and symbol behind the organisation.
Participating in Awareness Campaigns:
Including but not limited to: beach cleanups, giving free water at events, creating online content, and hosting workshops
Describe your behavioral intervention.
iThis free water network is for everyone. All you need to do is download the Cleanwave app and refill your reusable bottle at one of the many refill points.
The power of Visual storytelling and public awareness
Cleanwave understands that to create a social movement that changes people’s behaviour – you have to tell them a story. The Cleanwave team are active on social media channels, but one of their most effective awareness tools, has been the production of their documentary film 'Out of Plastic', which shares the voices of people on these islands, who are creating positive change on the issue of plastic waste.
In addition to the documentary, we have launched a YouTube channel where we have "conversations" with inspiring individuals trying to leave their positive mark in the world.
Education
In October 2018, Cleanwave.org launched their first schools program called 'Plastics Fora' (Out of Plastic) - where we provide interactive and engaging workshops for children - from kindergarten, through to primary and secondary school - teaching them about plastic. We have written and produced an illustrated story book, as well as a short multimedia film for the younger children, and a 20 min version of “Out of Plastic” for the older children.
Community Engagement
Engaging the local community is the key to change. Cleanwave organises beach cleans and participates in events, and looks for opportunities to offer free and healthy drinking water to avoid singleuse plastic water bottles
Behavioral Levers Utilized
As needed, please explain how you utilized the lever(s) in more detail.
Choice Architecture + Information:
We want to move away from the "throwaway culture" to a reusable one. The Cleanwave bottle is the "symbol" and "movement" behind a much larger goal towards making the world adopt a circular economy. The public outdoor fountains are the “solution” to the current reasoning and excuses behind buying single-use plastic bottles.
Emotional Appeals + Information:
Our educational school program/workshop focuses on our kids and our "future". We raise awareness about the importance to take care of our planet today for a better tomorrow.
Our beach cleanups are not limited to cleaning the beach, but about education. We separate the beach cleanup volunteers into 3 groups, with each group focused on the following respectively: microplastic collection, macroplastic collection, and brand audit.
Social Influences + Info:
Sharing our media content online, via social networks, Youtube channel, and creating a documentary are all ways we are share our stories.
Describe your implementation
Summary
We already have three public fountain installed (with a signed agreement to install 30 further fountains around Palma De Mallorca), have a school programme which has reached over 5000 children, we have created a network of over 170 refill points. Quick summary video here https://youtu.be/YJth2zqIOVs, as you can see, this online campaign has successfully allowed us to build the Cleanwave App.
Key objective:
Making clean water freely and easily accessible across all communities is one of our key objectives. In so doing, we not only provide access to a vital life source, but we also address the critical environmental challenge of plastic pollution.
Project focus:
University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) – Campus water initiative
Presently students are buying plastic water bottles, because of lack of access to reliable water sources.
Cleanwave Foundation has been in conversation with the UIB for almost 2 years, and have finally brought all stakeholders together – including the University, EMAYA (local water provider) and the Cleanwave Foundation to set up the first fountain on the campus. However, the initiative requires funding.
Cleanwave App
Phase 1 of the App shows current refill points, has a news section to share Cleanwave and environmental news, as well as an "offers" section created for our partners to help them have a platform to advertise on as a "thank you" for providing our users with free water.
Public Fountains
Currently we have 3 public filtered water fountains installed around Mallorca, with 30 more fountains coming in the next 24 months. To date, our public fountains have on average poured around 35000 litres per year, and combined with our private refill points and bottle sales calculation, Cleanwave has managed to prevent over 6 million bottles from being consumed.
Awareness Campaigns- Beach Cleanups - We organize beach cleanups where we separate participants in 3 different categories: microplastic, macroplastic, and brand audit
Describe the leadership for your solution. Who is leading the implementation?
Our movement is for everyone. We are instigating the need for change and reusable mentality to create a circular economy. Our schools programs target the youth, as they are the driving force in generations to come. Our private refill points visible on our app allow real solutions today, to reduce single-use plastic by refilling your reusable bottle for free while simultaneously raising awareness about how much we have come accustomed to the single-use/throwaway culture. Public fountains are our current focus, and are a testament that nothing is impossible. Its a collaboration between the local governments, the water providers, and private entities and donors that allow for the fountains to be establish, providing the general public with access to free and clean drinking water. We need everyone to do their part in jumping onboard the #cleanwavemovement and as the saying goes, "When we blame others we give away our power to create change". It is up to all of us to change.
Share some of the key partners or stakeholders engaged in your solution development and implementation.
Hotels and Tourism based Corporations – We need the collaboration of big “polluting” industries to help support sustainable tourism, and have to-date managed to integrate the Cleanwave bottles directly in Hotel rooms (Bikini Hotels) to educate their guest and raise awareness about plastic pollution in Mallorca. This acts as a sustainable partnership between Cleanwave being the “plastic free movement”, the hotel seen supporting this initative, and the client being educated that there are alternatives to plastic. In addition, we request that these corporations switch from single-use water bottles in their offices to providing all of their staff with Cleanwave bottles and install filtered water machines in the offices to reduce single-use plastic.
Emaya-local water provider that has sponsored several public fountains and provides all the maintenance and water for these public street fountains.
Ajuntamento de Palma - Local government body that has provided permission to install the Cleanwave fountains on the streets in various tourism and local hotspots.
University of the Balearic Islands – The youth is our future, and we need to reach these changemakers in order to have a long-term and tangible impact in the world. Cleanwave is currently focusing a large part of our efforts in reaching young adults throughout their professional development formation with regards to single-use plastics and alternatives available.
Who adopted the desired behavior(s) and to what degree? Include an explanation of how you measured a change in behavior.
Schools:
In October 2018 Cleanwave launched its environmental education program "Plastics Fora". To date we have hosted 163 Workshops and reached 5 271 school children. The aim of the school programs are to raise awareness about plastic pollution in children, with the idea that they take these concepts home and educate their parents.
Employee Awareness Program:
Education and awareness are essential aspects that need to be instilled to create a change of habits for a sustainable and environmentally conscientious society.
Public Events:
Armed with two 6 meter “water rockets”, these portable Cleanwave water fountains have built-in filtration machines that can supply 600 liters (plus the ability to filter infinitely more) at big events to satisfy thirsty crowds, simultaneously raising awareness about single-use plastic. We have participated thus far at 58 events, where we have estimated a participant attendance of 116 000 people.
How did you impact water pollution? Please be specific and include measurement methodology where relevant.
To date we have prevented over 6 Million bottles from being consumed, and our impact is measured in the following ways:
Calculation:
Cleanwave total public and private fountain usage + saving rate of bottles sold (based on liter/person/year outside home) + saving rate of company changes
Explanation:
The Saving rate of bottles sold takes into consideration the average bottles sold per day, the total number of bottles sold, as well as the daily water consumption of people spending the day outside of their home in Spain.
The total public fountain usage is an average of the three public Cleanwave fountains installed and their average monthly water consumption.
Private fountain usage is the total number of litres poured by our private fountains to date (the portable XXXL rocket, and our mobile cleanwave fountains).
Company Changes are the installed fountains in partner locations, such as TUI and Iberostar to name a few.
How has your solution impacted equity challenges (including race, gender, ethnicity, social class/income, or others)?
The Cleanwave water fountains and refill points, events, awareness programs, and school workshops are for everyone. We believe that water is life, and that race, gender, ethnicity, social class/income, or other discriminations have no space on this planet as we all share our planet with one another. We believe that collaboration is key, and strongly emphasize this message on all our platforms.
What were some environmental co-benefits?
The environmental co-benefits are the direct avoidance of single-use plastic by chosing to “refill” a bottle, rather than “buy” a new one. We provide a solution that bridges the gap between “bad” city water and “clean” plastic bottled water, by locating filtered water points that will give water for free via our app. With this concept, we have estimated to have prevented over 6 Million plastic water bottles from ever being consumed.
What were some sustainable development co-benefits?
The #cleanwavemovement is a movement. It is meant to be scalable and replicable. We want the whole world to adapt the “refill mentality” and if that needs to be in the way of installing public drinking fountains to reduce plastic, then that is what we will push for. The local government has just announced that they will support 30 further fountains to be installed around Mallorca within the next two years, and that is countless plastic bottles avoided every day!
Sustainability: Describe the economic sustainability of your solution.
University of the Balearic Islands (UIB)
There is an initial investment cost of the fountain – thereafter minimal maintenance costs, which are covered by EMAYA, the municipal water provider.
All Fountains come with a “contactless” solution - important feature under current Corona restrictions.
Early Entrant Prize $5,000 – would pay for the first fountain on the campus, and the offer to do an awareness workshop with core group of students.
The first prize is $10,000 – another 2 fountains on the campus – roll out our awareness workshops to further students across the faculties.
Grand Prize: $25,000 - 5 Water fountains, dynamic awareness workshop across all faculties, screening of OUT OF PLASTIC and 200 Cleanwave bottles for students.
Return on investment: How much did it cost to implement these activities? How do your results above compare to this investment?
A public fountain is a relatively small investment, and has an exponential impact in terms of access to clean drinking water, changing human patterns of consumption and reducing plastic pollution.
The advantage with focusing on a University campus – is that the parameters are well defined. Measuring impact is relatively easy, by knowing number of students who visit the campus daily, knowing the amount of water being consumed (there is an inbuilt water counter in the fountain), and thereby being able to predict the number of plastic water bottles prevented.
Being a University, the target audience is ideal for such a water campaign, as you are targeting a segment of the population who will play a vital role on the regeneration of our planet
How could we successfully replicate this solution elsewhere?
The Cleanwave public fountain model has been piloted in collaboration with the city of Palma and the municipal water provider EMAYA. We started with one fountain in 2019, and as recently as in November 2020 we signed a new agreement for another 30 fountains in the city of Palma de Mallorca to be installed over the next 2 years. To date, each fountain has been pouring around 180 litres of water per day, preventing the equivalent of 360 plastic bottles (500ml) per fountain/per day.
The model has been proven to be effective and can be scaled across more towns, schools, and into other islands across the Balearic Islands.
Stakeholders:
University of the Balearic Islands UIB - Turismo
EMAYA – municipal water provider
Cleanwave Foundation – Project lead - responsible for providing the fountain, storytelling, liasing with all stakeholders, and communication.
Funding required:
Euro 4000€ + IVA + shipping / fountain
Euro 200 / workshop with students
Euro 10 / bottle x number of student