Watter are cleaning up from the TopDutch region, naturally.

Salt, water and electricity is a recipe for success in the TopDutch region. Sustainable disinfectant technology providers Watter are naturally contributing to a healthier and more sustainable world from their home in Drenthe, Northern Netherlands. And their location in a leading transition economic region is supercharging their success. “I can highly recommend being located in the TopDutch region because of the support from local municipalities, universities or province to make your company successful,” says Alfred Koop, Managing Director of Watter.

Disinfectant is a vital aspect of processes we rely on to live healthy lives. Farmers rearing the livestock and manufactures producing and packaging the food we eat, healthcare workers keeping us safe, they all use large quantities of chemical disinfectants every day. But the hydrogen peroxide that is widely used in these processes creates potentially harmful by-products, the plastic packaging it’s kept in often ends up in the plastic soup, and its production and transportation adds to our carbon emissions.

I can highly recommend being located in the Northern Netherlands because of the infrastructure but also the support from the local municipalities, the universities, or the province to make your company successful.

Alfred Koop, Managing Director Watter

TopDutch-based Watter have created a natural solution for disinfection. Using just salt, water and electricity, farmers, food manufacturers and healthcare workers can create their own sustainable disinfectant – Hypochlorous acid (HOCl) – onsite without the need for harsh chemicals.

A smart spot for R&D

Despite being discovered nearly 200 years ago, HOCI has historically been difficult to use in commercial processes as its stability is hard to maintain. It was in 2008 that Watter was founded in the TopDutch province of Drenthe. Their system uses electrochemical activation technology to electrolyze salt and water in a compact machine that can be kept on site in farms, hospitals or factories.

Getting to the point of an effective and commercial machine was the result of years of research and development, something which their spot in the TopDutch region helped accelerate. Alfred Koop, Watter’s Managing Director, explained: “For us it’s very important to be located in the Northern Netherlands because [we have] very close ties with the universities located here”. The TopDutch region hosts the top-100 research university the University of Groningen, as well as four universities of applied sciences and specialized knowledge institutions including a satellite campus of the world-renowned Wageningen University & Research agricultural college and European center of excellence for sustainable water technology, Wetsus.

For us it’s very important to be located in the Northern Netherlands because [we have] very close ties with the universities located here.

Alfred Koop, Managing Director Watter

Support for success

After years of designing, testing and improving, the Watter system was created, and Watter were ready to expand. Again, their location was a catalyst for their growth. “We can see here in the TopDutch region that its very supportive of innovative technology start-ups and scale-ups,” said Koop, whose company now has hundreds of customers across over nine countries. “I can highly recommend being located in the Northern Netherlands because of the infrastructure but also the support from the local municipalities, the universities, or the province to make your company successful”.