SaWa Bag

SaWa Bag's Usability and Efficacy

The SaWa Bag is designed with user needs as a focal point. Its plastic composition combines strength, high UV penetration, and a long lifespan. The dark blue color on the backside of the product increases the temperature to 45+ degrees faster than a light background, reducing the time needed to decontaminate water in the bag..

The SaWa Bag also has two weldings in the middle to prevent the plastic from bulging out, lowering the water depth and allowing the sun to reach through the water to the bottom of the bag, accelerating the purification process.

This all-in-one solution includes a manual for use, a handle, features for hanging it up, and a tap for easy dispensing of water, minimizing the risk of misuse.

SaWa Bag Feedback

User and partner feedback is methodically collected throughout all SaWa Projects and National Programs. The high scores, multiple endorsements, and strong partnerships with governments and NGOs underline the need for SaWa’s efficacy in providing safe drinking water to people in low-income communities.

Adaption rate94%

Trust in the product99%

Liked the product96%

“SaWa Bag is especially good as it provides a closed loop solution that enables water purification for the individual family, while providing safe storage, and easy dispensing, ensuring no recontamination and only safe water.

– Godfrey Peterson Baguma UNHCR WASH Officer, Kyangwali Refugee Settleme

SaWa Bag Technology

SaWa Bag’s purification technology is based on PET bottles’ 40-year-old Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) process, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed as a safe way to purify water. It works by harnessing UVA and UVB rays and heat from the sun.

Combining these three processes kills the organic pathogens of concern in water. Specifically, the UVA forms reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the water, which is critical in inactivating microorganisms. UVB directly damages the organism’s DNA and RNA. The heat initiates a heat pasteurization that works with UV processes to accelerate disinfection.

SaWa Bag further improves the purification process by using a specialized plastic foil and construction that significantly increases solar penetration and makes the process faster, killing a more comprehensive range of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa with a performance of 99.9%. The model illustrates the sun emitting the UV rays that reach the bag, which initiates the SaWa product’s purification process.

SaWa’s increased UV Penetration

The graph below illustrates the UV measurements of the SaWa Bag and an ordinary PET water bottle.

The significant difference is the instant onset of increased UVB (lower wavelength) penetration for the SaWa Bag, as this radiation will purify water faster.

SaWa’s Construction

SaWa Bag can hold 4 liters of water. Filled with water, the bag forms 3 cavities that ensure a rigid product and optimal solar exposure. It weighs 100g and takes up little space, making it easy to transport. SaWa Bag’s closed eco-system storage prevents the cleaned, safe drinking water from becoming recontaminated.

Certifications

Global Certification

The efficacy of SaWa Bag’s performance has been assessed according to international standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) for removing three different types of microorganisms: bacteria, viruses, and protozoa from drinking water.

SaWa Bag is CE-marked and conforms with the provisions of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC under EEA legislation.

Local Verification

SaWa Bag’s performance efficacy has been rigorously tested during its design and development phases. Additionally, SaWa Bag has been tested and verified by government-approved laboratories in countries with SaWa Projects and SaWa National Programs.