News | Life Solutions

Making Working from Home Easy

Progress is being made to deal with and adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with some countries facing 2nd or 3rd waves of infections, some people continue to work from home.

Working from home can pose additional challenges to traditional working lives. These include having to juggle family or relationship responsibilities with professional responsibilities, manage time efficiently, be adaptive, have meetings at unusual hours and learning to manage new technologies. This can place stress on staff who are normally working to a set schedule or having the benefits of working face-to-face with others – socializing, giving and receiving encouragement, and being able to plan together.

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Physical and mental health has become increasingly important. People across the globe are having to not only be mentally resilient and well, yet also physically healthy. Thankfully, there are things we can do to make working from home easier and more stress free. Check Billi’s tips to make working from home work for you.

Life Solutions recognises the importance of health and wellbeing. We want our clients and partners to be not only prosperous and successful, but healthy too. Our clean drinking water products support healthy, hydrated and productive lifestyles, while our services make filter replacement care-free.

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Plastic Free July 2020

250 million participants in 177 countries.

Behind these global numbers are people like you and me who care. Behind the many is the one, and we all share in this world together.

Global movements seek to create the positive conditions for positive things to happen, benefiting people, the planet and prosperity. People join environmental movements like Plastic Free July to inspire positive change and create a healthy, sustainable environment.

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Plastic Free July has inspired over 250 million people in 177 countries to avoid and reduce harmful single-use plastic waste. They provide resources and ideas to people every day at home, work, school and in communities around the world. The harmful impacts of waste and environmental pollution are increasingly being recognized.

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Like all these caring, courageous people, we at Life Solutions also make a positive difference. One of the ways that we do this is through our Paperback Program, which helps us to reduce paper, cardboard and other paper-based packaging. Another way we make a tangible positive difference is through our Meat Free Monday initiative, eating healthier, lower environmental footprint food every Monday at our Shanghai office.

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Reflecting our mission of inspiring China’s transition to clean drinking water, the Life Solutions team has also participated in plastic waste pick-ups in China like this one. These kinds of events – which you can also participate in through Plastic Free July – not only support a healthier, safer environment, yet also creates opportunities for people in the workplace and community to get to know each other better, be inspired and inspire others.

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If another 250 million people like you and me reuse things and reduce our single-use plastic then this can foster cleaner water, air and soil – foundations of health and lasting wealth.

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Credible, certified Billi

Credible, sustainability certified Billi

https://www.globalgreentag.com/products/eco/

Not even the best marketing can improve a poor quality product. Quality is quality, hard won by the best companies in the world who are dedicated to not just their own success yet also the satisfaction of their customers. Though many companies – perhaps looking for a quick fix or perhaps not knowing better – greenwash their products to make them sound ‘green’ and sustainable, Billi doesn’t.

For over 25 years, Billi has been making high quality, reliable clean drinking water systems for corporate, hospitality and residential clients. Quality is increasingly being seen as included the environmental sustainability performance of products. Not to mention quality certifications like the Australian Standard Quality certification, UK Watermark certification and China CCC certification, the Billi Eco, Quadra and Quadra models were the first clean drinking water products in the world to be certified to Global Green Tag’s LCA Rate ‘Gold’ certification.

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And that’s a tough certification to get. The sustainability industry is often filled with unsubstantiated eco-friendly claims to sell green products. Instead, Billi chose to have several of its products undergo one of the most rigorous and science-based product sustainability assessments available today. Among others, Global Green Tag certified to ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management, and externally verified as compliant to ISO 14024 for Type 1 (Third Party) Ecolabels, ISO 17065 for Conformance Assessment Bodies and produce greenhouse gas calculations are compliant with ISO 14067 for Product Greenhouse Gas Calculations.

After passing through thorough, independent and peer reviewed Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) by an experienced and qualified team, including senior managers and scientists, Billi Australia, manufacturer and designer, received the LCARate Gold certification and the ISO 14025 Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The Billi Quadra, for example, scored highest in the environmental health and low ecotoxicity category, demonstrating that compared with other water filtration systems, the Quadra achieved a 0.10 on a scale of -1 to +1 with a low score meaning better environmental product performance (0.10 is a 90% improvement over the business as usual benchmark product). In addition, the Billi Quadra is water and energy efficient, as well as being low carbon.

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Don’t take our word for it, check out the facts. The independent Green Tag EcoPoint score card is available here or contact us in China to read Billi’s up-to-date Global Green Tag product certification

An Ode to Reusable Cups, Mugs and Bottles

An Ode to Reusables

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A favourite cup becomes more than just a way to drink. It can become a part of the furniture, a part of what makes a home or workplace comfortable and welcoming.

Some people love to decorate glasses, cups and mugs they use at home. Other people enjoy long lasting metal, glass or high density plastic drinking bottles, using them for everything from travelling to sport events. I remember making ceramic mugs in art class in high school. Some companies even design their own company cups complete with logos or even a playful message or design. When I worked at EF Education First a senior Production Manager once gifted the team with a personal mug with a photo of them on it. This was one of the most memorable Christmas gifts I have ever received.

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Whatever the design, size or color of the reusable mug, cup, bottle, or glass, they have many benefits. They not only help keep us hydrated with safe, healthy and refreshing water or give us pleasure through beverages like tea and coffee, they also can provide – the more personal the better – a sense of familiarity and feeling of home.

Reusable cups and bottles also can have substantial environmental benefits. Globally, people are increasingly aware and concerned about the impact of waste and pollution on the environment. This includes yet goes beyond Styrofoam or single use plastic cups, and beyond what we see in shops or littered along a river.

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With an estimated 8 trillion pieces of plastic dumped into the world’s oceans each year and about 91% of plastic not being recycled, the impacts of single use plastic, Styrofoam and paper cups is substantial. Yet, are reusable cups, mugs and bottles any better? After all, both create waste and air, water and landfill waste. Both can sometimes be made of non-renewable or energy intensive materials. For example, a 16 Oz paper cup takes about 33 grams of wood, over 4.1 g of petroleum, 1.8 g of chemicals, 650 BTUs of energy and half a pound of greenhouse gas emissions to produce.

Reusable cups, mugs and bottles reduce environmental footprint while continuing to provide users with what they need, such as clean water – yet only if they are used for a long period of time. According to a Lifecycle Assessment by Trinity Colleague, reusing a plastic mug more than 16 times and a ceramic mug more than 25 times creates environmental savings and less waste. After meeting the environmental ‘break-even’ point, further re-using of a cup or bottle – and avoidance of single-use cups – will generate environmental benefits.

According to Ecoffee, if 2 million people chose to reuse their cup just once a week it would save 104 million cups a year from landfill.Now, that is something worth drinking to!

For more insights and inspiration, follow us on social media.

A Workplace Evolution

Workplace Changes offer Opportunities to Design for the Future

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Many of you may still remember when offices used to be row upon row of desks, or when cubicles were popular in the 1980s and 1990s. In those days, health and safety, workplace comfort, environmental sustainability and thoughtful experience design were yet to be considered. Compared with the high quality, sustainable and human-centered designs of today, few people would want to return to those types of workplaces now.

We spend most of our adult life at work, so it makes sense to design spaces that are healthy, safe, and comfortable with low environmental footprint. These new design trends often include collaborative workspaces, or ensuring that pantry and kitchen areas are spacious, organized and fit-out to meet the needs of staff, customers, and other visitors. Whether the designs have been driven by innovating clients and designers, or demographic changes, the modern-day workplace can create value well beyond just ROI.

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Pioneering companies and designers have the led the way in the evolution of the modern day office.

For over 10 years in mainland China, Life Solutions have been working with interior designers, architects, and project and facility managers to ensure that end users have what they need in their offices. We offer both traditional stand-alone and counter-top water filtration systems as well as innovative, excellent quality Billi taps for premium offices, hotels, hospitals, serviced apartments and private homes.

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We would be happy to speak with you about how we can help you to build the workplaces of tomorrow in China.

World Oceans Day 2020

Protecting the Oceans, Saving Ourselves: World Oceans Day 2020

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The wave rolls in over your feet as sand gives way, pushing sand through your toes. Couples, families and school groups play games on the beach, eat and take photographs. Some people wear shoes, some people are barefoot: everyone’s happy, relaxed. The waves roll in again and again, as they have from before we can remember. That endless sound of the ocean draws millions to its shores each year.

You smile at the sun swarming your face, the clean air holding you in its embrace. Then, something hard bumps against your foot. You look down and are surprised to see a plastic drinking bottle. Its plastic wrapper has long since washed away, its clear surface becoming tarnished like an old stone. Strange, you think, there aren’t even any cafes or picnic tables near here. So, you look around more carefully and see that is not the only plastic bottle. There are hundreds in the sand at the high tide line. Some are half-way buried in sand, others wrapped in seaweed.

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With some cities in China increasing their separation of waste and increase recycling rates, is plastic still harmful?

With Shanghai and other cities in China stepping up their waste sorting since the summer of 2019, recycling rates are improving. China has been steadily improving its recycling rate and is efficient at recycling materials like plastic. Recycling is helpful because it extends the useful life of materials like aluminum, paperboard and plastic. It also keeps these materials from ending up in farmer’s fields, rivers and the ocean.

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Plastic drinking bottles are useful for carrying water, tea and other drinks, yet plastic production is harmful in several ways, including in production. In addition to the fact that many single use plastics come from non-renewable fossil fuels and use energy in their manufacturing, harmful toxic chemicals are also released as air pollution and can also pollute soils and waterways. Toxic contaminants like toluene, benzene, sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides, methanol and volatile organic compounds are found in plastic production’s toxic ‘cocktail’.

After being used, plastic drinking bottles have been found in many rivers and oceans around the world. In the UK, according to WWF, 500,000 tons of micro-plastics have been found in the ocean each year. These ‘plastic pieces injure, suffocate and often kill marine animals, including endangered sea turtles and monk seals.’ So, a drink in single-use plastic bottle may taste sweet, yet plastic pollution might leave a bitter taste in your mouth.

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World Oceans Day connects and encourages people to protect and restore the ocean. The aim is to protect 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030. Here at Life Solutions, we help people to avoid the damaging effects of single use plastic drinking bottles by using long-lasting clean drinking water systems and re-usable cups and bottles.

This way, we can enjoy the sweetness of life – such as enjoying a refreshing, hydrating glass of water on a hot day – and leave the ocean for future generations to enjoy and care for.

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This World Ocean’s day, join us in protecting the precious ocean. Contact us to chat and find out more.

IWBI Member, Billi

International WELL Building Institute Member, Billi

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Even before the COVID-19 virus had hit the world, Billi had signed up to become a member of the International WELL Building Institute to help transform buildings and workplaces to become healthier and more desirable places. A manufacturer and designer of premium clean drinking water systems for businesses and residents, Billi has developed a strong reputation in places like Australia, New Zealand and the UK for excellent services, reliable products with elegant designs.

The International WELL Building Institute is leading the global WELL movement to transform buildings and communities into places that help people thrive. WELL is a cutting edge global rating system that is focused exclusively on the ways that buildings and communities, and everything in them, can improve our comfort, drive better choices, and generally enhance our health and wellness. Given that Water forms one of the pillars of the WELL rating framework, it is a natural progression that Billi, as a leader in clean drinking water solutions, would become a Cornerstone Member of IWBI.

For more about this important news, click here.

Tony Armstrong, Senior Vice President of IWBI Asia, acknowledged the importance of Billi’s membership with IWBI. “IWBI convenes, celebrates and collaborates with companies and organizations such as Billi to foster meaningful changes in our buildings and communities. IWBI appreciates valuable market solutions Billi and other IWBI members provide for projects.”

With over 10 years of experience across the greater China market and experience in offering Billi taps to customers, Life Solutions is proud to be a national distributor of best-in-class Billi clean drinking water systems for our corporate, hospitality and residential clients. As our products helps clients to become healthier and more productive, we applaud Billi for becoming an IWBI member. We have commercial property experience with providing clean water products and services to help a key account client achieve WELL certification for a ground-breaking Shanghai project.

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The COVID-19 virus situation has highlighted the importance of safety and health in the workplace. We at Life Solutions would be happy to provide clients with safe, delicious drinking water and services that can help them to achieve their WELL certification in China.

Biocote protects against Infectious Bacteria

Health and hygiene have come into focus globally as COVID-19 has brought our lives to a standstill. The situation has highlighted the negative impact that viruses and diseases can have on people, businesses and economic trade. A healthy, safe workplace, hotel room or public space can not only provide assurance and trust to employees and customers, it also demonstrates global Best Practice.

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Exposure to viruses and bacteria can often make people sick. Infectious bacteria can be found in water, and some of these can cause severe illnesses. This kind of bacteria can also grow on the surface areas like counter tops or even on the exteriors of kitchen equipment, possibly spreading to people when we touch these surfaces regularly.

Thankfully, we can stay safe and enjoy fresh healthy drinking water. The UTS Slimtap UV rays kill any potentially harmful bacteria in the water, while allowing users to easily access purified drinking water. This ensures that any bacteria-borne infections are stopped at sourced, and the drinking water can be enjoyed without worry.

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What makes the UTS Slimtap unique is that it has built-in antimicrobial protection. Proven to reduce microbes by 99.5% within 2 hours, the Slimtap features Waterlogic’s Biocote, patented technology that kills bacteria on the surface of the tap. This is particularly useful for public spaces or kitchen and pantry areas with high density use. The Biocote technology means that it has been proven to be effective against bacteria and antibiotic resistant bacteria as Campylobacter, E Coli, Legionella Pneumophilia, Listeria Monocytogenes and Staphylocooccus Aureus; mold and fungi, as well as the Influenza A H1N1 virus. The Slimtap and other BioCote technologies are regularly tested for effectiveness against microbes using methods and standards like ISO 22196 (2011), ASTM E2149-13a and ASTM G21.

Ideal for hotel rooms, offices, hospitals, clinics, restaurants and canteens, the Slimtap offers safe water at an affordable price. Life Solutions is excited to announce that the UTS Slimtap with its unique Biocote technology is now available in China. Contact us for more information.

For any inquiries about plastic-free, sustainable clean drinking water systems, feel free to contact us here:

Celebrating Earth Day 2020

What is estimated to have an average value of 33 trillion US dollars each year? What is something we cannot live without? If you guessed the global economy, you were off. If you guessed, the economic value of water, you were close.

The earth provides all that is needed for life to exist and thrive. It is the basis of our global economy. In 1997, the economic value of 17 ecosystem services in nature were estimated by top analysts to be between 16-54 trillion US dollars per year. Businesses harvest this wealth by turning the earth’s raw natural materials – minerals, food, fibre, chemicals – into the many things that make up our lives: from cars, food and mobile phones to office buildings, bowls and cups. Strong, global economic growth has meant improvements in quality of life. It’s also meant pollution, ecosystem degradation and species loss.

The 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment found that 60% of 24 ecosystem services were ‘being degraded or used unsustainably.’ Our economic system has helped nations to become wealthy, yet has not taken into account the environmental costs or impacts of things like habitat disruption, water pollution or species loss.

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“Humans have been degrading and depleting ecosystems for centuries, even millennia. Yet the process has accelerated in the past fifty years [….] The resulting loss of ecosystem services often has significant social and economic costs [….] The global marine fishing industry, landing a catch just under $100 billion per year, is at risk of collapse in the next forty years. Also at risk are an estimated 35 million jobs, mainly in small-scale and artisanal fisheries, and the health of more than a billion people in the developing world, who depend on fish as their main or only source of animal protein.” By measuring ecosystem services – and increases or decreases of life-supporting value, humans are better able to manage and reduce our environmental impact.

Though some may associate global Earth Day with hippies and early 1970s North America, the day has come to represent a globally-inclusive movement for environmental sustainability. Earth Day includes all sectors in a country – public, private, not-for-profit and civil society. The aim is to show the world that people care about the earth and to support positive change for people and planet. 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and there will be events across the world, including in China.

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With a mission of inspiring China’ transition to safe and healthy drinking water through outstanding customer service and environmentally responsible solutions, Life Solutions is proud to support Earth Day. Our long-lasting, energy efficient clean drinking water products provide essential hydration for customers. They also avoid the use of polluting single-use plastic.

Finally, we are proud of our social impact partners Green Initiatives and Collective Responsibility. These organisations are creating awareness and understanding of the environmental, economic and social challenges that people in Asia are facing. They also offer programs and services in the greater China region that create sustainability, quality of life and business benefits.

The value of a life – and of all life – is far beyond economic value. The costs of inaction and of consumption of highly polluting products far out-weight the benefits of more sustainable habits and products. We all call earth home. On this Earth Day, let’s do what we can to make a positive difference.

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.

– Native American proverb

For any inquiries about plastic-free, sustainable clean drinking water systems, feel free to contact us here:

How Reverse Osmosis can
reduce exposure to viruses

With the Coronavirus having caused deaths and severe sickness in China and abroad, many people are taking precautions to protect themselves from getting sick.

Millions of people in China are now wearing face masks and respirators, washing their hands thoroughly, sanitizing kitchen surfaces and consuming safer food and drink. “China finds itself performing a precarious balancing act with two important but divergent tasks,” said Dr. Stephen Woellenstein, German Chamber of Commerce in North China, “keeping firm with virus prevention measures while fighting for a return to economic normalcy.”

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Businesses across China’s major cities are courageously going back to work in order to lead from the front and serve their customers through these challenging circumstances. Many companies are making changes to their operations in order to manage risks while still creating value. According to Personnel Today, businesses are taking different strategies to keep business afloat, including having staff work from home, performing in-office temperature checks, communicating more with staff, allowing employees to take annual leave early and using teleconferencing instead of face-to-face meetings.

Many people here in China are wearing face masks to reduce the risks of infection or spreading of the virus. In addition, hand washing with soap for at least 20 seconds after using the bathroom or before consuming food can reduce the risks of contracting viruses.

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These are good ways to reduce the risk of virus transmission through contact. However, the World Health Organization notes that virus pathogens can also be found in water. Though boiling water to a range between 80 to 100 degrees Celsius can successfully deal with bacteria and some common germs, it doesn’t address heavy metals and harmful viruses. Thankfully, there are more effective ways that reduce exposure to viruses.

Reverse Osmosis systems remove bacteria and chemical contaminants like lead, chromium, chloride and copper, and also can remove some viruses like Rotavirus, Norovirus and Hepatitis B. Reverse Osmosis has been known to be so effective at removing contaminants that is often used to treat hospital waste water, as noted in the International Journal of Chemical Sciences and Applications. As a result, responsible managers wanting to protect their staff and clients from viruses found in kitchen and office pantry areas can reliably use RO filtration systems to reduce the risk of illness, improving health by staying hydrated with clean, pure water, while also encouraging peace of mind during these uncertain, challenging times.

Life Solutions technicians testing RO-filters and preparing systems for installation

Life Solutions uses Reverse Osmosis filtration in all of our clean drinking water systems, because we know how effective it is in removing contamination and leaving our customers with clean, safe drinking water. Life Solutions was founded on the basis that businesses and residential customers deserve reliable, safe and healthy drinking water at all times. Our 5 stage RO system stops pollution, bacteria and many viruses from making its way into the one thing that humans cannot live without – clean and healthy drinking water.

At this current time in China, we understand that it is not just the water that needs to be safe, yet also the equipment that our customers use. We understand that clients and business partners just want to get on with their business. That is why our trained and experienced technicians have taken precautions in order to support the team and our customers to be healthy, safe and productive. The technical support team now wear face masks, protective goggles, gloves and also disinfect their hands before installing any clean drinking water systems or replacing filters.

As an optional value-added protection feature, many of our systems, including all of our premium Billi drinking water systems, can be coupled with UV light filters on request, which kill bacteria and viruses.

For more information about what RO filtration is and its benefits feel free to read about it here.

If you would like to learn more about how we can help you, please contact our friendly customer service team, toll-free, nationwide on 400-820-1213 or via email at enquiry@lifesolutionschina.cn. We are happy to help with any enquiries you might have.