Unilever acquires Blueair, will help millions more people fight rising urban air pollution

However, terms of the deal were not disclosed. and the deal is subject to customary regulatory approvals

Blueair, a world leader in air purifying solutions with acclaimed leading - edge filtration technologies and design, announced on Tuesday it has been acquired by Unilever.

Blueair founder Bengt Rittri said "The acquisition will enable even more people to protect their health by using Blueair air purifiers to remove indoor airborne contaminants such as hazardous PM2.5 sooty particles, allergens, chemicals and viruses."

Sharing the news, Bengt said: "We are saying yes to leveraging the help of Unilever - one of the world's most admired corporations for its sustainability practices - to help Blueair take the next step to become a truly global provider of its health-enhancing air purifiers. Moving forward, Blueair will be geared to help potentially billions of people rather than millions to create safer, healthier indoor environments as air pollution rises worldwide."

Bengt recalled how he had launched Blueair 20 years ago with the mission to start a clean air revolution by bringing people the world's best indoor air purifiers.

"This mission remains embedded in Blueair today as we continuously work to elevate people's health and wellbeing in a world where WHO says air pollution is now the world's largest single environmental health risk, killing around 7 million people in 2012 alone," Bengt Rittri said. He noted that according to the UN organisation over 80 per cent of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed WHO limits.

Demand for air purifiers has grown swiftly in recent years as awareness has risen about the multiple health and wellbeing risks posed by poor air quality at home and work. One landmark UK study published this year said "Cradle-to-grave exposure to air pollution can contribute to cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and dementia," for example.

Bengt said "That Blueair will continue to operate under its existing brand name in all its markets, including Sweden, China, US, Japan, South Korea and India."

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. Livingstone advised Blueair in the transaction.