Brita
Encyclopedia
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
company founded in 1966 by Heinz Hankammer with headquarters in Taunusstein
Taunusstein
Taunusstein is the biggest town in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. It consists of more than 29,000 inhabitants.- Location :...
, Germany, that specializes in water filtration products. The company has production facilities in Germany, Great Britain, India, and Switzerland. Brita products are distributed worldwide, reaching more than 60 countries.The company is the world's market leader in portable household water filtration. Brita products include water jugs, kettles and tap
Tap (valve)
A tap is a valve controlling release of liquids or gas. In the British Isles and most of the Commonwealth, the word is used for any everyday type of valve, particularly the fittings that control water supply to bathtubs and sinks. In the U.S., the term "tap" is more often used for beer taps,...
attachments, all of which use silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
-impregnated activated carbon
Activated carbon
Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal, activated coal or carbo activatus, is a form of carbon that has been processed to make it extremely porous and thus to have a very large surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions.The word activated in the name is sometimes replaced...
and Ion-exchange resin disposable filters as their primary filtering mechanism. The activated carbon used in Brita filters is produced from coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
shells. The company manufactures its pitchers from styrene methyl methacrylate
Methyl methacrylate
Methyl methacrylate is an organic compound with the formula CH2=CCOOCH3. This colourless liquid, the methyl ester of methacrylic acid is a monomer produced on a large scale for the production of poly .-Production:...
copolymer.
In Britain, Hinari
HINARI
HINARI is the Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative. It was set up by the World Health Organization and major publishers to enable developing countries to access collections of biomedical and health literature. There are over 7000 journal titles available to health institutions in 109...
manufactures an electric kettle incorporating Brita technology.
The Brita filter is not intended to purify water
Water purification
Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, materials, and biological contaminants from contaminated water. The goal is to produce water fit for a specific purpose...
, and should not be used with water that is microbiologically unsafe or of unknown quality without adequate disinfection before or after the system. Often, the charcoal also ends up in drinking water . Individuals requiring water of special microbiological purity should follow the advice of their doctor or local health officials regarding the use and consumption of their tap water and Brita water.
Action
Brita filters have a double action:- The activated carbon filter eliminates bad odor and the taste of halogen compounds that chlorine makes when present in tap water.
- The exchange ion resin lowers the concentration of calcium carbonates, accordingly softening tap water.
History
Brita started in 1966 when Heinz Hankammer had the idea of optimizing normal tap water. He named the company after his daughter Brita. Its headquarters are in TaunussteinTaunusstein
Taunusstein is the biggest town in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. It consists of more than 29,000 inhabitants.- Location :...
near Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
in Germany. In 1988, The Clorox
Clorox
The Clorox Company is a US-based manufacturer of various food and chemical products based in Oakland, California, which is best known for its bleach product, Clorox.- History :...
Company, based in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, entered in a licensing-and-distribution agreement with the German company for North and South America. In 2000, Clorox acquired the sole rights to the brand in North America and Brita agreed to a noncompete clause until 2005. In 2008, Brita returned to the North American market under the brand Mavea.
Social responsibility
Brita states that “social responsibility, particularly social sponsoring, has always been part of our corporate culture.” The company supports many local and international organizations. In 2007, Brita signed an international cooperation agreement to aid a project instigated by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to provide and/or enhance drinking water in rural Vietnamese villages. With this project, UNICEF aims to provide clean drinking water for at least 60,000 children.In fall 2010, Brita’s United Kingdom branch collaborated with fashion designer Orla Kiely
Orla Kiely
Orla Kiely is an Irish fashion designer based in London. Although she started work on hat design, she has since moved into design work on handbags and her designs have been featured on a variety of other items including kitchenware and cars. She received a Master's degree from the Royal College of...
to support the Breast Cancer Care Charity
Breast Cancer Care
Breast Cancer Care is a charity in the UK that provides information, practical assistance and emotional support to anyone affected by breast cancer. The organization was founded in 1972 by Betty Westgate who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1968...
, which provides professional support and expert information to those affected by breast cancer. The partnership released a limited-edition Hydration Pack containing a water filter jug, three filter cartridges, and a reusable water bottle designed by Kiely and made of 100 percent recycled materials. For every pack sold, Brita donated £1 to the Breast Cancer Care Charity
Breast Cancer Care
Breast Cancer Care is a charity in the UK that provides information, practical assistance and emotional support to anyone affected by breast cancer. The organization was founded in 1972 by Betty Westgate who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1968...
.
The owner of Brita, Markus Hankammer, is the chairman of German 3rd Liga
3rd Liga
The 3rd Liga is the third division of football in Germany. The league started with the beginning of the 2008–09 season, when it replaced the Regionalliga as the third tier football league in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2...
club SV Wehen Wiesbaden. When Heinz Hankammer was the owner, he promised them that if they were promoted to the 2.Fußball-Bundesliga he would build them a new stadium in Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
. They did, and hence the Brita Arena was built. Brita is sponsored all over the stadium as well as on the shirt. Markus Hankammer is now the chairman, as his Dad, Heinz Hankammer, retired.