Culligan: 90 Years of Supporting Female Talent

March 22 marks World Water Day , a global event promoted by the United Nations since 1993 to raise awareness of the importance of freshwater and the need for sustainable management of water resources. Each year, the United Nations identifies a guiding theme to guide the international debate on one of the major water-related challenges. For 2026, the focus is Water and Gender, an explicit reminder of the connection between access to water, human rights, and gender equality.

Today , 2.2 billion people worldwide live without access to safe water, and women are the first to suffer the consequences . Globally, women and girls dedicate over 200 million hours every day to collecting water—time taken away from education, work, and personal safety. Yet, despite their central role in managing this vital resource in communities, they are often excluded from decision-making processes that affect them. The UN World Water Day 2026 message— "Where water flows, equality grows" —underscores how investing in inclusive water solutions is a fundamental lever for sustainable development and public health.

Culligan's contribution

In this context, Culligan joins the international debate on water and gender equality, highlighting the concrete contribution of women at Culligan who, every day, work across various departments—from engineering to science, from operations to leadership roles—to make water better, safer, and more accessible for everyone around the world.

"For ninety years, Culligan has been committed to the water filtration sector, serving both families and businesses, with a clear vision: to guarantee everyone quality, safe, and accessible water, while respecting people and the environment. For us, being a world leader means not only offering innovative solutions, but also building a corporate culture that puts women at the center, valuing their talent both inside and outside the organization. We firmly believe that quality water is a universal right, and we continue to renew this commitment every day." – Giulio Giampieri, President of Culligan Italy .

Culligan and gender equality, between numbers and corporate culture

Around the world, Culligan's scientists, researchers, engineers, and managers work every day to anticipate emerging risks related to water quality and develop solutions based on scientific rigor and innovation. This commitment translates not just into declarations of principle, but into expertise, data, and concrete solutions : it's the story of a company founded in 1936 that has built its excellence thanks in part to the crucial contribution of women . Attention to gender equality is an integral part of Culligan's culture. Globally, the Group has set a goal of achieving 35% female representation in leadership positions. In Italy, the data shows an already advanced reality: at the Group's Bologna headquarters, 60% of employees are women, and 65% of them are between 18 and 30 years old, confirming a concrete investment in female talent and the next generation.

For Culligan, women's empowerment is not just a matter of equity, but a key driver of innovation, growth, and corporate culture.

In Italy, the face of Culligan's scientific excellence is represented by Malamati Tsiola , Head of Quality and Food Safety for Culligan Italy , who leads the analysis laboratory at the Fossombrone plant. The laboratory is a key scientific tool in monitoring contaminants that can compromise the quality of water for millions of people. Before reaching consumers' glasses, water must pass rigorous control standards.

"I like to think of women as figures who give life and make it grow. The same qualities are also fundamental in scientific research: nurturing ideas, transforming them into projects, and then into concrete solutions available to everyone," comments Malamati Tsiola .

For increasingly safer water: European legislation and Culligan's commitment

Turning on the tap and drinking a glass of water seems simple, almost obvious. Yet, behind that simplicity lies a complex reality. The science of water quality evolves rapidly, often faster than legislation: analytical techniques now allow us to detect contaminants at concentrations unthinkable just a few years ago and to more precisely understand their effects on the human body. Regulations, however, are struggling to keep pace, resulting in a structural and persistent misalignment. The case of PFAS —the chemicals known as "forever chemicals"—and, in particular, TFA (trifluoroacetic acid) is emblematic: since January 2026, TFA monitoring has officially come into force in EU Member States as part of the Drinking Water Directive .

TFA is an ultrashort PFAS – a byproduct of pesticides and refrigerants – detected in European waters at increasing and worrying levels.

Legislative Decree No. 102 of June 19, 2025—which updates and supplements the previous Decree No. 18 of February 23, 2023—implementing European Directive 2020/2184 on the quality of water intended for human consumption, establishes limit values for several chemical parameters in drinking water, introducing new and stringent monitoring requirements for Italian water managers as well. For example, with reference to the compounds described above, the limits are 0.10 µg/l for the group defined as "Sum of PFAS" and 10 µg/l for trifluoroacetic acid.

It may be that a water source is technically compliant with current regulatory standards, yet science has already identified new emerging risks not yet addressed by law. This isn't a contradiction: it's a snapshot of a constantly evolving system, in which industry, science, and institutions must work together to bridge the gap between what we know and what is regulated. And it's in this space —between what science already knows and what the regulations haven't yet incorporated— that Culligan scientists position themselves, anticipating risks, even before regulations recognize them .

Culligan addresses pollution from emerging contaminants , such as PFAS, microplastics, TFAs, and heavy metals, with innovative solutions . The new Culligan systems are NSF certified (according to American standards that already apply much more stringent parameters for certain elements, such as PFAS, microplastics, and other contaminants, including TFAs), offering a concrete guarantee to consumers and managers required to comply with the new European standards.

Ensuring quality water means protecting public health : a responsibility that requires expertise, scientific rigor and a solid partner: Culligan has been doing this for 90 years.

“On such an internationally significant day, the contribution of scientists like Malamati Tsiola reminds us that protecting the right to water means protecting everyone's future,” concludes Giulio Giampieri, President of Culligan Italia.