Otrivin captures polluted classroom air and turns it into pencils

Breathing toxic air is a daily reality for 98% of India's school children, not just when they're out in busy streets but indoors, too. Poorly ventilated classrooms in low-income neighborhoods can have air pollution levels three or four times higher than limits set by the World Health Organization. Otrivin, the nasal spray brand, has developed a potential solution.

Working with Wunderman Thompson, Otrivin selected three schools suffering from the lowest air quality in Bengaluru, known as India's asthma capital. In those schools, they installed 22 energy-efficient air purifiers that cleaned 2 billion cubic feet of air in two months. Residue collected in the process was mixed with graphite and transformed into kid-safe 'Pollution Capture Pencils,' which were distributed in the schools.

Following its Bengaluru pilot project in 2022, Otrivin aims to supply an additional 100 air purifiers to other schools in need in Q1 2023. In the long term, Otrivin plans to create a self-sustaining ecosystem, using the sale of Pollution Capture Pencils as a fundraising tool.