The INDEX prize, which is given out in five $136,000 categories, is funded by private and public companies in Denmark, and was first given out in 2005 to celebrate design that not only looks good but also improves lives of people all over the world. Amongst the 2007 winners was a very cool solar bottle from Alberto Meda and Francisco Gomez Paz.

When attending an exhibition under the theme “H2O” at Milan’s International Furniture Fair, Meda and Paz learned about the SODIS system, a simple, low-cost solution for treating drinking water at a household level. Contaminated water is filled into transparent plastic bottles. When exposed to full sunlight for six hours, the pathogens in the water are destroyed. Meda and Paz decided to design a container that brings the best out of the SODIS system, and the result is Solar Bottle, which has one transparent face for UV-A + infrared rays collection and one aluminium color to increase the reflections. The high ratio surface/thickness of the low cost four liter container improves the performance of solar disinfection and its flat shape makes it stackable and facilitates storage. A handle makes it possible to regulate the angle for best solar exposition and ensures easy transportation.