HBI Staff | Hyderabad 
Aiming to replace the usage of plastic water jars from workplaces with a more sustainable, touchless, and healthy option, the Internet-of-Things (IoT) enabled global water-tech startup Boon (formerly known as Swajal) has partnered with SpaceMatrix, a workspace and corporate interior design major. In workplaces, their association has introduced a hygienic, carbon emissions-free, and plastic-free revolutionary solution, WaterCube Y1. It is an intelligent and innovative solution that embraces WaterOZO (patent pending) technology and sterilizes the taps and containers while enabling people to collect water without touching any button.
Most workplaces/corporate offices rely on plastic water jars, especially the 20-litre ones, to fulfil the drinking water needs of their employees. These jars are unfortunately a band-aid to the rapidly growing water requirements of urban spaces. They are severely detrimental to our health and environment. These 20-litre plastic jars are transported from long distances back and forth every day to deliver water to the end users. In this process, trucks clog the roads and produce carbon emissions. Another significant problem with 20-litre plastic jars is hygiene concerns, as these jars are transported and installed manually with multiple touchpoints of contamination.
Also, studies suggest that high levels of microplastic contamination may cause life-threatening diseases like cancer. As per a report by the Hindustan Times article, an RTI query revealed that approximately 50% of packaged water is spurious which means a serious lack of quality control. Also When microplastic gets exposed to sunlight/UV rays, it quickly breaks down into the water, making it unsafe for consumption. Moreover, the 20-litre jars also make our groundwater tables dry from being filled with illegal bores.
Witnessing such an unhealthy and problematic scenario, the Boon (Swajal) and SpaceMatrix duo designed the WaterCube Y1 system that resonates with corporate interior designs. The WaterCube Y1 system is equipped with Boon’s R&D centre and patented IoT platform, Clairvoyant, which monitors the quality of water in real-time to ensure that every single drop of water is pure and healthy.
Speaking on the new initiative, Advait Kumar, the Co-founder of Boon, said, “With connected technology, we can do things that were never possible before in the realm of drinking water. We can detect small leakages or performance yield changes and raise an automatic ticket for our technicians. With WaterCube Y1, an office of 200 people can save approximately 3087 Kg of carbon emissions annually, which is equal to planting 140 trees. At the same time, get more premium and healthy water for hydration.”
SpaceMatrix has exclusively designed the stunning integrated WaterCube unit. As Boon WaterCube also connects to Space Matrix’s workplace technology platform, SpaceXP, their integration with the centralized system allows the admin teams to monitor the systems and send alerts regarding higher TDS levels or system malfunction. Besides, employees can understand the TDS levels of water before they consume it, which ensures a safe workplace experience for them.
Besides offices, Boon has enabled hotels to remove plastic bottles from their premises through its innovative technology, Clairvoyant. In the future, the startup looks forward to growing 8X annually by introducing disruptive, novel products and technologies in the drinking water space.
