Vestergaard Frandsen

Headquartered in Switzerland, Vestergaard Frandsen was founded in 1957 and made uniforms. Today, this family-owned global enterprise makes products that address humanitarian needs, such as clean water and pest control with proprietary products such as the LifeStraw and PermaNet. Vestergaard Frandsen shifted from making uniforms to serving these needs when a surplus of Swedish Army fabric was purchased and turned into blankets in 1990.

The LifeStraw has become one of Vestergaard Frandsen’s flagship products. LifeStraw filters contaminated water to prevent a number of diseases, like cholera and dysentery. Diarrheal diseases caused by contaminated water claim more that 1.5 million lives a year, especially among children and pregnant women in developing nations. To meet the needs of 780 million people affected by unsanitary drinking water, Vestergaard Frandsen has developed a number of LifeStraw products that can be used by individuals, families, and communities.

Said to be the most commonly purchased mosquito net in the world, PermaNet helps reduce the incidence of malaria. PermaNet has been used by the United Nations along with government and non-government organizations in more than 200 countries.

In 2009, Vestergaard Frandsen earned The Economist’s “Social and Economic Innovation” award.