by Phil Richards, founder of TAPP Water Malta
In June 2020 TAPP Water came to Malta, it was a strange time to launch, we were in the early stages of CoVid-19 and I had been at home under lock down during those past weeks which did have the advantage that I had plenty of time to set up the website and the business.
Earlier that year I had been searching for a sustainable water filter, one that did not generate loads of plastic waste when used, or waste water. I found TAPP water online and ordered it and really enjoyed the simplicity to fit and the taste of the water. It occurred to me quite soon afterwards that it was a product that was needed in Malta as it is so customary to use plastic bottles for drinking water.
I did my research, inspired by the TAPP Water mission to eliminate 10 billion plastic bottles by 2026, and I found that in Malta we currently use up to 200 million plastic bottles a year. So that's around 1,000 for every household in Malta.
With each bottle adding up to 250g of CO2 into the atmosphere which contributes to climate change, it was clear to me that the TAPP water filters could at least alleviate some part of this if a number of households would join in the mission.
At that point I set out on the mission for TAPP Water Malta to enable 10,000 households to stop using plastic bottles, thereby eliminating 10 million plastic bottles from our environment, and saving 2,500 tons of CO2 adding to our climate change problems.
Two years on and there are 2,000 households using TAPP water products and saving 2 million plastic bottles every year from ending up on our beaches, in the landfill, or being sold abroad for recycling or incineration.
500 tons a year of CO2 not being released is a huge step forward to us all, and a great illustration of what is really needed for climate change to change direction. We need not one huge change by a few people, but many small changes by many people.
So when one family stops using plastic bottles fro drinking water, thats a clear win. Those families inspire others to do the same, and we win as a community. Then those families take another small step, maybe by not using plastic bags for shopping or using cloth nappies instead of disposable.
You can find out more about TAPP Water at www.tappwater.mt and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as TAPP Water Malta.
