HVR has worked with water treatment since the 1990s. But as you can see on Scarabs website, Scarab – the forerunner of HVR – has been working on water issues since the mid-1970s.
In 1980, Scarab’s founder, Aapo Sääsk, wrote an article “Solar desalination for irrigation” in the EU’s journal of development issues.
Scarab has researched several different water purification applications and has received around twenty patents since the 1970s. Today we have one central patent for the whole operation. Scarab got a first working prototype completed in 1990 and then created a spin-off company with the goal of making completely clean water for drinking and cooking. It got the name from the folder where the drawings were kept: HVR – Hemvattenrenare – in translation Local or Home Water Purifier. Twelve private shareholders financed the first steps. Now we are close to four thousand.
Since its inception, we have tried a large number of variants, tested different prototypes and operated several pilot plants based on our unique technology. The longest test has been at the Sjöstadsverket in Stockholm where a plant has been in operation for six years without any problems. Now, HVR has received a “Seal of Excellence” from the EU as a sign that the company is considered one of Europe’s future companies. We have a first plant in operation that supplies healthy water in Odisha, India, and we are now preparing sales for our first commercial product, WaterApp.
Throughout this time, water problems have been brought to attention in international media. Many UN resolutions have been taken. Yet millions of people still die each year as a result of health-threatening drinking water. It is not a problem that can be solved in a quick fix. But thanks to the support of thousands of shareholders and now the EU, HVR will be able to pull its straw to the stack. Before the market launch, it may be interesting to see what the international debate was like when the company started. And what it has been that has motivated private individuals to buy shares in HVR. Much has happened since then, but we still face a huge and largely unsolved problem – that billions of people are forced to drink substandard water. HVR is now prepared make a difference.