Environmentally friendly sea-water reverse osmosis technology, developed by desalination and water treatment systems company IDE Technologies, is at the heart of a facility that is being built on Bonaire, an island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. When completed in 2021 the plant will produce drinking water, without the use of chemicals, for the island’s inhabitants. This focus article briefly looks at the technology involved and highlights the advantages that it offers. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.