Place, pump and drink.

JERRY has been designed with ease of use at the heart of the design. From young children to elderly household members, the water filter can easily be operated by many, filling a glass of water with only three pump strokes. Our research has shown that household members can correctly install and use the filter within only 30 seconds, without any manual or instructions.

JERRY is compatible with all standard size jerry cans and replaces the jerry can cap to function as both a water filter and a tap. It is designed to fit the most common type of water container existing in developing countries in Africa. Therefore, it becomes an integral part of an existing commodity in the household.

Whereas most water filters include storage or are integrated in a large tank, this product can be mounted on a jerrycan, which most households already possess. Therefore, users only have to pay for the filter and do not need to purchase additional containers. This eliminates the need to transport large bulky containers, making JERRY compact to distribute, bringing down the transportation costs in particular for the last mile.

JERRY contains an integrated backwash system, which cleans the filters automatically with every pump movement through a process called backwashing. The system eliminates complex maintenance procedures to ensure that the product can be used consistently and correctly with absolutely minimal training or instruction. This principle also optimizes the lifetime of the filter, with an estimated lifetime of >10.000 liters of water (~3 years of drinking water for a family of 5 people).

Point-of-use filtration

The water is filtered right before consumption at point-of-use, preventing recontamination inside storage containers.

Micro-membrane filter

The filter cartridge contains a hollow fiber micro-membrane filter with 0.1 micron pore size, removing 99.9999% of bacteria and parasites from the water.

Long-lasting

The filters are maintained automatically through an innovative backwashing mechanism. This improves the estimated lifespan of the filter to 10,000 liters (depending on the quality of the water).

Replaceable cartridge

Once the end of life is reached, the filters are still safe to use, but the flow will decrease. At this stage, the filters can easily be replaced without any tools, optimising the lifetime of the product and minimizing plastic waste.

Impact

• Each JERRY directly improves the health condition of all members of a household.
• The global burden of consuming unsafe water amounts to an annual 1.2 million deaths and 71.7 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
• More specifically, the prevalence of diarrhea could be reduced by 61% by filtering and safely storing water from an unimproved source in the household (WHO).
• The WHO reports that diarrhea kills around 760,000 children under five every year, which makes this the second most common cause of child deaths worldwide.
• Average saving of $22 per household per year (~2% of annual income, based on surveys), as compared to boiling or buying water.
• For every dollar invested in water and sanitation, there is a $4.3 (430%) return in the form of reduced health care costs for individuals and society around the world (WHO).

Awards

James Dyson Award

Winner, 2019

Albert Schweitzer Prize

Finalist, 2020

World Design Impact Prize

Finalist, 2021