Nederlands 
English Water, water everywhere...
... nor any drop to drink.
70% of our planet is covered in water, yet less than 1% of it is available to drink. Two billion people already lack access to clean drinking water. 75% of the world’s population already lives in countries classified as water-insecure or critically water-insecure¹ .
And yet, the answer has long been to pump from overexploited freshwater sources, run energy-hungry desalination plants on fossil fuels, and ship plastic bottles across oceans.
We think that’s absurd. So we built something different.
SEA Water exists to show that drinking water can come from a different source, and from closer by. We desalinate seawater, an abundant and largely untapped source, using 100% renewable energy, and package it in recyclable aluminium cans and returnable glass bottles. We want to prove that people’s need for water can be met locally.
Local water
We don’t tap into dwindling freshwater reserves or ship water across countries. We start with the most abundant source on Earth, the ocean, and turn it into clean drinking water right on the shore, close to where people drink it.
In 2024, the Netherlands imported water worth over 200 million USD². The Dutch drink 31 litres of bottled water per person every year, much of it imported³. Where that water comes from matters, and choosing local shortens the journey.
Our modular systems can be set up wherever there’s seawater and renewable energy, which makes local water possible along coastlines around the world.
Packaging that doesn’t outlive its purpose
Plastic was designed to last forever. We’ve all turned it into the world’s most common piece of trash. By 2060, plastic use is projected to triple, generating over one billion tonnes of waste annually⁴. We’re not interested in being part of that number.
That’s why SEA Water comes in aluminium cans and returnable glass bottles. Aluminium recycles again and again without losing quality: 75% of all aluminium ever produced is still in use today⁵. Our glass bottles are designed to be returned, cleaned and refilled: a system that lowers CO₂ emissions compared to single-use glass, and the more often a bottle comes back, the bigger the saving⁶.
The best packaging is the one that keeps coming back. Real change means rethinking the materials we choose in the first place.
Giving back to the source
We take water from the ocean. That means we owe the ocean something in return.
We financially support organisations actively working to protect and restore our oceans and ecosystems. We call them our Partners for Life.
Our first partner is ReefSystems: a pioneer in building artificial reefs that become a new habitat for marine life and exactly the kind of work we’re proud to support. As we grow, so does our commitment to the ecosystems we depend on.
Proof, not just promises
In 2025, SEA Water became a Certified B Corporation™, verified by B Lab to meet standards of environmental and social performance, transparency, and accountability. For us, this certification isn’t a finish line. It’s a compass.
We’ve also collaborated with universities on Life Cycle Assessments that scrutinise our footprint and hold us accountable. We open our doors to students and researchers, contribute to academic work wherever we can, and participate in projects exploring regenerative development and community-centred planning.
If you’re a student, researcher, artist, or educator working on water, sustainability, or circular systems, we’d love to hear from you.
Smaller footprint, wider reach
Being part of the solution doesn’t mean being without impact. We start by reducing our own footprint, joining the world in the pursuit of limiting warming to 1.5°C.
But SEA Water is more than a product. Every market we grow into gets a local alternative to imported bottled water, and every new customer is someone we can reach with the story of the water crisis. For us, growing and making an impact go hand in hand.
Through partnerships, education, and campaigns we shift how people think about where water comes from, and make local water the norm rather than the exception.
We don’t have all the answers, we’re just getting started. Read our full Climate and Impact Action Plan for our targets, roadmap, and how we hold ourselves accountable – and check back, because we will.
Sources:
¹ Madani K, United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (2026).
² Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC). Water (HS 2201) – Product Trade, Exporters and Importers. Data: BACI (CEPII), HS22, 2024.
³ Natural mineral waters statistics (2024).
⁴ OECD (2022). Global plastics outlook: Policy scenarios to 2060.
⁵ International Aluminium Institute.
⁶ Nijholt, N. & van der Wolf, E. Enviu (2025).