Citizens’ war on smog

Severe air pollution in China's major cities has led many to resort to wearing masks. Photo: Li Hao/GT

A number of innovative crowdfunded products have appeared to combat China's air pollution problem

Guo Rui, a 32-year-old housewife, was scouring the Internet for an air purifier, when a friend told her about an innovative new model that was seeking crowdfunding on JD.com.

It was called the Three Papa, to draw attention to the fact that the three entrepreneurs behind the machine were all fathers, and had developed the air purifier to provide a safe breathing environment for their children. It purported to use similar technology to foreign brands, like IQ Air, boasting that the air it pumped out after filtering would be 100 percent PM2.5 free. People would be able to verify these claims for themselves, because the air purifier could be synced with their smart phones, allowing users to check the PM2.5 figures inside their homes while using the product.

While the IQ Air retails between 10,000 ($1,634) yuan and 20,000 yuan, the Three Papa would eventually retail at 4,999 yuan. But if Guo pledged 3,399 yuan towards the project now, she would receive the air purifier for "free," as soon as it had been manufactured.

Guo decided to contribute 3,399 yuan.

"I already have three different air purifiers at home, but I'm not sure how much they improve the air quality," said Guo, who has a persistent cough, and suffers from allergies arising from hypersensitivity to air particulates. "My cough hasn't gotten any better. So when a friend told me about this one, I wanted to try it out."

The market for air purifiers in China has taken off in recent years in the wake of widely-reported air pollution problems in the country's major cities. According to market analyst All View Consulting Ltd, more than 2.75 million air purifiers were sold from January to June in 2014. To meet this demand, a number of entrepreneurs have taken to crowdfunding to create innovative new products aimed at consumers desperate to find better ways to protect themselves against the smog.

A crowdfunded air purifier

Internet crowdfunding began gaining popularity in the US around 2009, with the founding of websites like Kickstarter, IndieGoGo and GoFundMe.

Initially, the platforms were primarily utilized by artists, filmmakers, musicians, and software developers seeking seed money to get their projects off the ground, but since then, the kinds of ventures have expanded to include civic, scientific, and technological projects, at all stages of research, production, and manufacture.

China-based crowdfunding platforms began appearing around 2011, and has come to be used primarily to raise funds for final manufacturing, after a product has already gone through design and development. As such, it has taken on a "pre-sale" function, allowing consumers who contribute to manufacturing costs to purchase the products for a reduced price, according to the National Business Daily in August.

Three Papa, following this model, managed to raise over 10 million yuan during its one-month-long campaign which ended Wednesday, a record total for a crowdfunded project in China.

Dai Saiying, one of the co-founders of Three Papa, said that crowdfunding is a way to build a shared relationship between companies and consumers.

"It mobilizes consumers to take the initiative and become involved in the process of making the product," he said.

TV-based crowdfunding

Dai is not the only one who has realized the potential of crowdfunding to raise both publicity and capital for an air purifier.

In August, 35-year-old David Liu took part in The Makers, a crowdfunding reality TV competition that aired on Ningxia Television, to raise money for his Fairair Super Purifier.