Why the laundry industry is in a spin to save water
[ad_1] Image copyright Paul David Drabble Image caption A Xeros commercial washing machine uses polymer balls to lift dirt from materials As water shortages become more common around the world, the laundry industry is under pressure to reduce consumption of this precious resource and generally minimise its environmental impact. When Johannesburg native Charl de Beer moved back to South Africa, he started a company aiming to rent out freshly laundered linens to the 18,000 Airbnb hosts in Cape Town. But then Cape Town experienced a water shortage crisis that threatened his business - his water costs quadrupled in a year. "If you're a business, that's catastrophic," he says. Fortunately for him he came across a new technology - polymer beads to replace water - that could apparently reduce the amount ...