As global warming intensifies, the world is turning to large-scale environmental technologies like electric cars and solar power at breakneck pace.

But so far, innovations that transform resource use inside people's homes have been few and far between.

Swedish upstart Scandinavian Water Technologies, or Swatab, wants to change that: the company's patented filter system helps clean clothes with nothing but cold water.

The idea was born three years ago on a small-town farmyardin southern Sweden, where entrepreneur Per Hansson and his wife Katarina Klfverskjld ran their painting firm.

We had bought a system for cleaning building facades in an environmentally friendly way. Seeing how efficient it was in removing algae and dirt, I realized that the same method could be applied to washing machines, says Hansson.

With a burning passion for molecules and chemistry, Hansson ran with his idea; and only two years after the founding of Swatab, he and his wife had received a Europe-wide patent for their water filtration system.

Water in itself is highly soluble. For example, if you get a blood stain on your clothes, you can remove it with cold water," Hansson explains.

"Our filter makes tap water super clean, and by de-ionising it, we can do away with the last remains of salts and contaminants. This super clean water is not in a balanced chemical state, and to become so again, the water will attach itself to stains and dirt and absorb them.

Swatab's filter system removes the need for laundry detergents and warm water.

Swatabs filter system, Diro, is a closet-sized module that sits between the water pipes and the washing machine. Dirohas cleared extensive testing done by Swedish research institute Swerea IVF as well as the Eropean Union's research center in Sevilla, Spain.

These [tests] show that we can meet the requirements. We have achieved an acceptable cleansing effect according to EU-standards that normally apply on tests involving laundry detergents.

Swatab is now working to prove that its solution can save money and emissions for businesses and consumers alike.

It looks very promising. For every 5 kilograms of laundry, our technology saves one kilogram of carbon emissions, says Hansson, referring to tests done over the past year with MKB, a housing association in Malm that makes six million laundry washes per year.

Swatabs first foreign expansion takes place in the U.K., where the company has garnered interest from several major companies.

However, Hanssons long-term dream is to get Diro into millions of homes. To this end, he and his wife are developing a solution aimed for the consumer markets, due for launch next year.

Recognized as a WWF Climate Solver.

At the annual Cleantech Forum Europe in May in Helsinki, organized by San Francisco-based Cleantech Group, Swatab was among six Nordic companies recognized as a WWF Climate Solver - an annual award "forenterprises that can lead the way to a sustainable economy with zero emissions and energy access to all."

Put together, the winning companies' solutions could reduce global carbon emissions by more than 300 million tons by 2027, according to WWF. That is more than the entire Nordic regions CO2-emissions each year.

Read theoriginal articlein Swedish onVeckans Affrer.

More:

This unique Swedish invention could transform how millions ...