At TerraClear we believe that clean water is not just a necessity, it is a basic human right. A study published in 2018 revealed that 87.7% of the water consumed in rural areas of Laos still tested positive for E.coli contamination¹, and community water supplies are difficult to build and maintain in rural areas. Our mission is to drastically reduce the number of people drinking from contaminated sources.
The next national study published in 2023 (and updated in 2025) shows that the percentage of households testing positive for E. coli contamination has been reduced to 72.3%, a reduction of over 15 percent ². We believe in the transformative power of ceramic water filters!
Ceramic water filters are widely used around the world to filter contaminated source water. Extremely small pores in the ceramic are highly effective at the removal of bacteria, protozoa, helminths, turbidity and other suspended solids. The ceramic elements are infused with antibacterial silver to provide a permanent, secondary defense. The TerraClear Ceramic Water Filter reduces bacteria by over 99%.
These filters, produced locally, are ideal for Laos as they need only gravity to function, require no ongoing consumables and are intuitive to use. Each filter produces and stores enough drinking water for a large family.
TerraClear, founded in 2010, has produced and sold over 170,000 filters! TerraClear uses local resources and employees to bring safe drinking water to communities all over Laos. TerraClear operates as a social enterprise, seeking to achieve social and environmental objectives through sustainable business practices.
We are also a registered Carbon Project with the Gold Standard, and are working to achieve the following Sustainable Development Goals:
¹ Lao Statistics Bureau. 2018. Lao Social Indicator Survey II 2017, Survey Findings Report. Vientiane, Lao PDR: Lao Statistics Bureau and UNICEF. p. 314. [Click here to download the report].
² Lao Statistics Bureau. 2024. Lao Social Indicator Survey 2023 – Key Indicators Report. Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Lao Statistics Bureau. p. 30. [Click here to download the report].
