Chinese water purification device retailer Truliva, acquired by British-Dutch consumer goods company Unilever Plc in 2014, said in the decade after 2021 it would make investments in helping protect the environment and water quality of the Sanjiangyuan area of Qinghai province.

The Sanjiangyuan region serves as China's largest natural reserve and an important source of fresh water resources in China. It is home to the headwaters of China's three major rivers, the Yangtze, the Yellow and the Lancang.

This year, the philanthropic project will focus on areas near the origin of the Yellow River and set up demonstration zones at four ecological villages. The project will help with water source patrol, train more ecological preservers and promote garbage sorting, recycling and reductions in the use of plastic materials to local residents.

Last year, the project provided training and support for nearly 2,000 local ecological preservers. It also established 11 water purification devices in the region, which provided fresh drinking water for local communities such as natural environmental protection stations and schools.

"After careful inspection, we customized water purification equipment that integrated water storage and purification functions for a natural environmental protection station. The equipment helped provide safe and pure drinking water for employees working at the station, as well as tourists and drivers," said Pan Shiyang, China general manager of water and air wellness at Unilever.

"Truliva has been focusing on water purification, and only by paying attention to the ecology of headwaters can the company achieve its mission and vision," Pan said.

China's water purification device market size is estimated at 40 billion yuan ($6 billion) in annual sales, and about 20 percent of Chinese families have water purification equipment installed at home, according to Unilever Plc.

zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn