Now in its eighth year, the prize is awarded by the eco.ch federation – composed of associations, institutions and agencies within the sustainability sector – to recognise the work of individuals and organisations towards a liveable and sustainable future. This year, the Eawag/FHNW Gravit’eau project – presented by Maryna Peter from the department of Urban Hygiene and Water for Development in a three-minute pitch – impressed the jury of specialists and won the main prize for outstanding achievements and contribution to sustainable development.

Main prize for Eawag’s self-sufficient water kiosks

The self-sufficient Gravit’eau water kiosks in schools, villages and health centres in Uganda purify water using gravity-driven membrane filtration. The kiosks are robust, need very little maintenance and are simple and cheap to operate. The technology removes bacteria, viruses and protozoa from turbid water, and allows the kiosks to be deployed, most importantly, in remote rural areas in developing countries or city slums. It is not only the technology used that makes the project sustainable, but also the fact that it is locally based and founded on a sustainable business model. Gravit’eau is a joint project of Eawag and the FHNW School of Life Sciences.

The prix eco.ch Swiss sustainability prize is endowed with CHF 15,000 for the recipient project – provided by Swiss Bluetec Bridge – as well as the opportunity to participate in the cewas start-up programme, worth CHF 5,000.