Following two catastrophic natural disasters in quick succession, the Tsunami (2004) Indian Ocean and Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans (2005), British inventor Michael Pritchard set out to create a portable water filtration device capable of providing a sustainable source of safe drinking water. After many attempts, Michael eventually created the first LifeSaver bottle in 2007. This was the world’s first portable water filter capable of removing the smallest known waterborne viruses.
LifeSaver soon established themselves as an effective solution to safe drinking water issues in the Humanitarian world. By 2010, LifeSaver had caught the attention of the British Army, who chose the LifeSaver bottle as their portable water filtration solution for personnel operating deeper in the field, beyond regular base supplies.
This great British product was selected by the Army after an extremely stringent technical and commercial assessment, the conclusion of which was that it was selected as the most efficient and cost effective way to produce safe drinking water.
Senior Military Advisor, Minister of Defence, Burma Camp, Ghana
As LifeSaver’s involvement in the Humanitarian sector grew, LifeSaver began to work in partnership with Oxfam to develop a new product which would be even more suited to the needs of people in the wake of a natural disaster, or displaced communities. This partnership led to the creation of the LifeSaver Cube. Using the same ultrafiltration technology as the bottle, the Cube stores up to 5 litres of water and provides a family of 4, daily safe drinking water for a whole year. The Cube’s distinctive shape is specifically designed to be efficiently stacked for shipping as many as possible on to pallets in emergencies.
With a growing range of products designed to be portable, durable and capable of filtering thousands of litres of water with a single cartridge, LifeSaver water filters also attracted more varied audiences in the retail sector. Outdoor enthusiasts, campers, backpackers, travelers, overlanders, adventurers, explorers and preppers have all found a LifeSaver filter which perfectly suits their individual needs, often via a combination of our products.
Hear the LifeSaver origin story in its founders’ own words: