The water purification system from Yamaha is aimed at what it calls ‘emerging markets’ is now used in over 40 locations across 15 countries and two continents.
The Yamaha Clean Water Supply System (YCW) utilises slow sand filtration to purify and clean water supplies in villages and settlements of developing countries.
Yamaha says “These facilities have been demonstrably effective,” in these areas, and 45 YCW units are now in operation across 15 countries in Asia and Africa after new installations in Kenya and Ethiopia were established in 2022.
Additionally, Yamaha says that its system can be maintained by residents, and does not require large amounts of resources such as electricity to operate.
The system is introduced by Yamaha in collaboration with international organisations, NGOs, and Japanese embassies, and Yamaha says it contributes to “the reduction of diseases, freeing women and children from hard work of drawing water, and [creating] new sources of cash income for residents through water-related businesses, such as delivery services.”
UNICEF statistics from 2020 state that 26% of the world’s population is without access to safe drinking water, which equates to around two billion people.
Yamaha’s work surrounding water supplies is also an example of how the sustainability programmes and initiatives of the major manufacturers can - and arguably must - extend beyond simply their primary products, in this case motorcycles.
It also portrays something positive from Yamaha, who this year announced a three-year partnership with Riders for Health, who help to provide health workers in Africa with motorcycles in order to help them reach some of the most remote places.
