Every Drop Counts - And So Does Every Dish

Every year on March 22nd, the world pauses to think about something we use without thinking — water. World Water Day is a United Nations initiative that's been running since 1993, and it exists for a simple reason: water is in crisis, and most of us don't realise it yet.

This year's theme is "Water and Gender," rallying around the slogan Where Water Flows, Equality Grows. It's a powerful reminder that access to water isn't just an environmental issue — it's a human rights issue. But more on that in a moment.

What Is World Water Day, And Should You Care?

World Water Day is an annual call to action focused on the global freshwater crisis.

Around 2.2 billion people currently live without access to safe drinking water, and freshwater ecosystems are under immense pressure from overuse, pollution, and climate change. The UN uses the day to focus global attention on a specific issue each year; and to inspire change at every level, from governments right down to households.

And yes, that means us. The choices we make at home: how we wash, cook, clean, and consume, those things add up.

One of the most water-intensive daily chores? Doing the dishes.

Closer to Home: Scotland's Own Water Story

You would be forgiven for thinking water issues affect faraway lands only. In our case, our company is Scottish, and Scotland is often associated with rain, lochs, and an abundance of fresh water — and for much of our history, that reputation was well earned.

But the picture is changing.

In 2025, Scotland experienced one of its most significant water scarcity events on record.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) declared the first half of 2025 the driest in eastern Scotland since 1973, with some rivers recording their lowest flows in decades. At its peak, 17 river catchments across the country reached Significant Scarcity — the highest level — leading to temporary restrictions on water use for farmers and businesses.

Some parts of Fife went over a month without measurable rainfall, and groundwater levels fell to record lows in parts of the northeast.

Looking further ahead, the Scottish Government has warned that more than half of Scotland's population could be at risk of water scarcity during dry periods by 2050.

The message is clear: even in a country famous for its water, conservation matters. Every household has a role to play.

The Hidden Water Cost of a Clean Kitchen

Hand-washing a full load of dishes can use anywhere from 40 to 100 litres of water. It's one of those daily habits we rarely questionm but the environmental footprint of a clean kitchen adds up fast, day after day, household after household.

That's exactly why we built Loch differently.

Our Capsule and Capsule Solo use just one quarter of the water of a typical hand-wash — a 75% reduction per cycle, achieved without any compromise on cleaning performance.

Over the course of a year for an average household, that saving adds up to thousands of litres of water kept where it belongs: in our rivers, reservoirs, and ecosystems.

The environmental impact of that reduction is real and meaningful.

Freshwater is not an infinite resource, and as Scotland's own 2025 drought season showed, that's no longer a distant, abstract concern.

Choosing an efficient appliance isn't a sacrifice. It's a straightforward, everyday contribution to a healthier planet.

Backed by the People Who Know Climate

We didn't build Capsule in a vacuum.

From early on, Loch was supported by the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI) through their EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator; one of Europe's leading initiatives for climate innovation. ECCI provided funding, mentorship, and expert guidance as we developed and validated the environmental case for Capsule.

When Capsule launched, ECCI celebrated it as a genuine breakthrough for household sustainability: not just for its water savings, but for its potential to meaningfully reduce the UK's carbon footprint. You can read their full write-up here.

That kind of independent endorsement means a lot to us; it's a reminder that the science behind what we do is sound, and that the mission matters.

Water, Women, and the Work Behind the Scenes

The 2026 World Water Day theme puts a spotlight on something often invisible: women and girls do the majority of water-related work, both globally and locally.

Worldwide, women and girls spend 250 million hours every single day collecting water, more than three times the time men and boys do. In many communities, water access shapes the entire arc of a woman's day, and by extension, her opportunities.

Closer to home, the picture is similar in subtler ways. Research consistently shows that household chores involving water — cooking, cleaning, doing the dishes — continue to fall disproportionately on women, even in households where both partners work. It's a quiet inequality that plays out at kitchen sinks around the world, day after day.

We think about this at Loch. A dishwasher isn't just an appliance: it's a time-giver. When the job of doing dishes is handled efficiently and automatically, it frees up time that too often belongs to one person in a household. The less friction there is around a chore, the more likely it is to be shared. And shared fairly.

How We Designed Loch with Both People and the Planet in Mind

The Capsule and Capsule Solo were built around two questions: how do we make dishwashing kinder to the environment, and how do we make it easier for everyone in a household to take part?

On the environmental side, our 75% water reduction versus hand-washing is the headline, but it's just the start.

Lower water use also means less energy heating that water, and less strain on local water infrastructure. Small machines, big impact.

On the equality side, we've focused on making our dishwashers genuinely easy for everyone to use. Compact enough to fit into smaller homes. Simple enough that there's no learning curve. Quiet enough that running it doesn't become a disruption. Our belief is that the easier a chore is, the less likely it is to become one person's invisible responsibility.

Small Changes, Real Difference

This World Water Day, we're reminded that the global water crisis isn't just solved by policy, it's also solved by the millions of small decisions made in homes every day. Choosing to use less. Choosing to share the load. Choosing products designed with the planet and with people in mind.

Where water flows, equality grows. We think that starts at home.