Bluewater sports team skis for plastic free oceans at Sweden's 90k Vasaloppet, world’s toughest cross country ski race

Stockholm, Sweden, March 5, 2017 – Bluewater, a world leader in residential water purification solutions, today fielded a four-person team in Sweden’s 90-kilometer (56 miles) Vasaloppet cross country ski marathon in Mora, Sweden, in order to draw awareness to plastic pollution of the world’s seas. From early dawn on Sunday, more than 15,000 skiers took between 4 to over 11 hours to tackle the hilly, tree-edged trails of what has been dubbed the world’s toughest ski race to reach the finishing line in Mora, in Sweden’s cultural heartland of Dalarna.

The Bluewater team are leveraging the event to raise public awareness about water sustainability issues facing the planet. More specially, the Bluewater athletes want to promote a crackdown on the use of single use plastic bottles that are polluting the oceans on an unprecedented level, threatening both aquatic life and the health of future generations as mounting evidence points to how plastic residues are entering the human food chain via fish.

“Bluewater water purifiers are designed to help people live healthier lives by removing contaminates like lead or chemicals from the water coming out of their taps and using a major sporting event like Vasaloppet is great way to draw attention to vital issues like protecting the environment,” said Anders Jacobson, a senior Bluewater executive and member of the company’s board of directors. 

A 31-year old former investment banker, Anders says his lifelong passion for sport has made it natural for him to also want to fight for a cleaner environment. The other Bluewater team members are Lina Fransson, Bujar Bunjaku, and Catrin Eriksson.

Anders announced that Bluewater will continue its crusading efforts over the coming year to raise awareness about environmental issues relating to water by fielding teams at other top athletic events in Sweden and elsewhere. On the agenda are the world's largest recreational bike ride, Vätternrundan, which encompasses cycling 300 kilometres in June around Lake Vättern, in central Sweden, swimming in July’s three-kilometer long Vansbrosimmet, Sweden’s largest Open Water event with nearly 15,000 participants, and taking part in at least one international triathlon.

Bluewater just a week ago stepped in to partner with Vasaloppet to save the marathon’s iconic Blueberry Soup. The soup, which has been served continuously during the Vasaloppet since the 1950s, was under threat after local authorities banned the water from being used from a local well due to excessive levels of fluoride. A compact Bluewater Pro water purifier (pictured left) worked continuously to remove up to 98% of the fluoride from the water used to help produce the over 60,000 liters of Blueberry soup consumed during the ski event. 

“I am really happy Bluewater’s high performance water purifiers were able to save the Blueberry soup, which is rich in energy and just what an athlete needs when competing in a long event like the Vasaloppet,” said Anders.

Editor notes
- The world’s ever increasing use of plastics has created large areas of floating plastic waste as big as France in the oceans. The floating plastic debris is gradually fragmenting into smaller particles, which eventually become microplastics and even nanoplastics. According to website sciencealert.com a study has found that microbeads could be turning the fish we eat toxic.

- Vasaloppet is one of the world's oldest cross-country races and is based on Swedish King Gustav Vasa's attempt in 1522 to gather support for a revolt against Denmark.The race has been run more or less continuously since1922. Elite skiers will take just over four hours to finish the event, while the final athletes will find themselves crossing the finishing line after 11 hours hard effort.

For more information, please contact:

Global press spokesperson:
David Noble, +44 7785 302 694 or  david.noble@bluewatergroup.com