321 water evolved in response to a growing social awareness regarding the environmental impact of bottled water. Drinking water is great - it quenches our thirst, it is healthy and pure. We are so lucky in Australia to have good quality tap water, we should take advantage of this and bottle it ourselves!
 
The bottle design features an easy-to-use plunger mechanism containing a carbon block filter. One push removes any chlorine, unpleasant taste and odours instantly - leaving you with fresh filtered water anytime you need it. All you need to do is pop your beautifully designed 321 Water bottle into your handbag, backpack or car cup holder when you leave the house then fill it from the nearest tap when you feel thirsty.
 
321 water bottles are BPA Free
You are probably aware that even very small doses of the harmful chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) which leaks out of the plastic in reusable water bottles and contaminates the water has been linked to serious health issues. 321 Water is one of the first BPA-free bottles to bemanufactured in Australia.
 
"There are so many people who want to do the right thing for the environment, and I’m determined to come up with ideas for new products that will make it easier for them to do that."
Gretha Oost, founder Half A Teaspoon
 
In 2009, Half A Teaspoon partnered with Design Victoria and industrial design firm Charlwood Design to develop 321 Water - a product that challenges the way consumers look at bottled water. The product provides a reusable, purifying alternative to bottled water, recognised as a global environmental problem.
 
In July 2010, Half A Teaspoon engaged Bayly Design for its expertise in engineering and manufacturing, to drive the product through to production.
 
IMPORTANT info About the recycling No.7
321 Water uses a BPA free plastic called Eastman Tritan copolyester. This is a new plastic especially developed for the food and drinks industry because it contains no BPA. Because of its specific recyclability it has the same recycle code as the BPA containing plastics, no7. This can be confusing for the user of 321 Water because until recently plastics marked with the no.7 recycling symbol have often been marketed as an unsafe category for the use of food and drinks. As 321 Water specifically choose a BPA free material for their bottle, the plastic is safe to use and BPA leach cannot take place
 
A bit about Gretha
Gretha Oost doesn't believe there are any problems too big to solve. Her high ideals and big ideas mean that if she sees something that needs to change in the world, she figures out a way to do it. Running a small company does not deter her from making big things happen.
 
Beginning when Gretha and her husband Willem rode 11,000 kilometres by bicycle through South America to raise funds for Oxfam, her journey from fundraiser to enviropreneur has been driven by a genuine desire to create a better, healthier world.
 
But it was only when Gretha moved to Australia from her homeland of The Netherlands that she focused her attention on preserving one of our most precious natural resources, water.
 
Gretha wholeheartedly believes that great design and an unusual approach can drive environmental change.
 
At Half A Teaspoon they want to do positive things for the environment. But they also believe that being eco-conscious shouldn't mean compromising on style. That's why all of their products begin with great design.
 
321 raises people's awareness about the environmental impact of bottled water and provides them with an easy-to-use alternative. The innovative design of 321 Water earned the People's Choice Award on ABC TV's The New Inventors, in early July 2009.
 
What's in a name?
The quirky name (half a teaspoon) is all about putting into perspective how little water is available across the globe. If one litre represents all the world's water, just half a teaspoon is freshwater available for us to use.