WATER x FUTURE – Presented by Aquaporin

More than 10,000 water professionals, thought-leaders, decision makers, leading researchers, and business representatives from within and outside the water sector were gathered in Copenhagen during the five days of the International Water Association World Water Congress and Exhibition, which focused on water solutions, applications, and innovations.

During the IWA, the danish company Aquaporin made a lot of events to spark a debate on water and the problems surrounding for instance PFAS in your everyday water.

These highlights include a live water tasting at Bella Center Copenhagen and a panel discussion at Copenhagen-based cinema Empire Bio, which was organized by Aquaporin. In the panel were Lisbeth Knudsen, professor in toxicology at the University of Copenhagen, Paul O‘Callaghan, CEO and founder of BlueTech Research, and Peter Holme Jensen, Chief Innovation Officer and founder at Aquaporin.

Dive into an incredible week of water where the smart liveable cities were the focal point for both exhibitors and the congress.

For decades PFAS has been used in various industries. Now, we are facing the consequences of the widespread use of industrial chemicals contaminating our groundwater, and seeing the effect it has on the human body.

PFAS have been used in commercial products since the 1940s. They can be in products such as clothing, furniture, food packaging, cooking materials, electrical insulation, and firefighting foam.

In this episode of WATER x FUTURE, we are talking with a professor in toxicology Lisbeth E. Knudsen at the University of Copenhagen. Recently, she has been featured a lot in the danish media due to PFAS problems on the island of Fanø in the western part of Denmark.

We are also talking to Dr. Jonatan Kleimark, Senior Chemicals and Business Advisor at ChemSec, also known as the International Chemical Secretariat - an independent non-profit organization founded in 2002 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The organization works towards a world free of these 'forever' chemicals.
Use this link to share the episode: The PFAS problem: From Fanø to Flint

The food and beverage industry is constantly changing and adjusting to new trends. One of the most prominent trends in the last couple of years is the 'clean label' trend that allows consumers to avoid E-numbers in their food and drinks.

But what are the new and innovative technologies that will change the industry? Today's consumer is more health-conscious and wants products produced sustainably. In this episode of WATER x FUTURE Yunfeng Li, the commercial director of Food and Beverage at Aquaporin, gives insights into Aquaporin's Natural Concentration Technology and how it helps businesses concentrate products.

The podcast also visits the Copenhagen-based Kaffe Bueno, a place unlike no other. The startup company was founded back in 2016 and is known for applying biotechnology to the coffee market. The company transforms coffee byproducts into ingredients used in the food industry, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics business, to name a few.

Noomi Mikkelsen is the marketing coordinator of Kaffe Bueno, and she tells the exciting story behind the company and how three friends from Columbia who have studied together in London ended up doing a startup in Copenhagen.
You can learn more about Aquaporin Inside® Natural Concentration Technology here

Andreas Herfelt and Ulrik Hansen Folkmann, two of Denmark’s newly appointed water ambassadors, give an insight into their unusual jobs and the missions they are on in, respectively, Rome in Italy and Chicago in the US. According to both of them, Denmark is a leading country in water innovation, and their purpose is to draw attention to how Denmark can lead the way in support of the environment and the Danish export strategy for water.

Both Rome and Chicago experience major water loss, and the cities’ water consumption lies way above average. Spotlighting the importance of water, the most valuable resource on Earth, Herfelt and Folkmann seek business opportunities and facilitate contact between Danish and local companies to scale Denmark’s export of water solutions and technologies.

Use this link to share the episode: Water ambassadors on a mission (buzzsprout.com)

On a global scale, 282 million people walk in search of water every single day. Africa is one of the most water-stressed regions in the world. On the continent, 483 million people lack sanitation, and 3 in 10 do not have access to basic drinking water services. Innovative initiatives are taken to solve the various water challenges facing African countries, and in this episode, some of the solutions are introduced by SafeWater Senior Director Pia Yasuko Rask and Tity Simbo Kamara, Project Manager, Social Enterprise Development Sierra Leone.

Rask stresses that water is at the heart of sustainable development and that improving global access to clean water can truly transform the world. Giving examples of SafeWater’s projects, activities, and partnerships in Africa, she underlines that the ultimate goal is for all of us to have access to safe water in our homes.

Kamara gives an insight into the case of Sierra Leone where 1 in 3 does not have access to safe water. She points out that to change this, Social Enterprise Development Sierra Leone works closely together with local communities and mobilizes them to invest in their own water infrastructure to ensure long-term water security and thereby improve livelihoods.