Coca-Cola has partnered with DEKA R&D, IBM, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), McCann Health, NRG Energy, Qualcomm Technologies and UPS to supply water purification kiosk EKOCENTER to 20 nations by the end of 2015.
Coca-Cola stated that the company will place around 1,500 and 2,000 units in the form of EKOCENTERs or Slingshot water purification systems across Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America for the supply of purified water in the regions.
Developed by DEKA R&D, the Slingshot water purification technology uses vapor compression distillation technology to convert dirty water into safe drinking water.
Each EKOCENTER will provide safe drinking water, sustainable energy, wireless communications, refrigerated vaccination storage, health education, and other functionality to jump-start entrepreneurship opportunities and community development, the company said.
Coca-Cola chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent said that EKOCENTER represents an investment in the future prosperity and progress of some of the most fragile and at-risk communities the company serve.
"Through EKOCENTER we have the ability to change lives by offering access to safe drinking water and other needed resources, all while empowering local entrepreneurs. What started as an aspiration is now becoming a reality as we welcome our partners across the golden triangle of business, government and civil society to scale and improve this innovation," added Kent.
As part of the partnership, IBM will contribute technology and business consulting services for EKOCENTER, and IDB will provide funding and implementation support, while McCann Health will create a micro-business model for the kiosk.
Qualcomm will guide the company on wireless communications technologies, UPS will be the logistics partner and NRG is the official energy partner for EKOCENTER.
As part of the initiative, the company is aimed at delivering 500 million liters of safe drinking water.
