New research reveals that adopting circular economy principles could lead to improved sanitation products and services for communities worldwide.
Today is World Toilet Day, and the Sanitation Economy report by the Toilet Board Coalition (TBC), is calling on governments and industry leaders to tap into the potential of this market and help transform the lives of people living in the poorest parts of the world.
The report provides a roadmap to achieving the economic gains and health improvements of harnessing elements like biological innovations and data, and cites the market in India as having the potential to generate $US 62 billion by 2021 if it follows the recommendations made.
The overarching aim of the TBC paper is ultimately to advance United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6.2: to achieve universal access to adequate sanitation by 2030.
“This is the biggest opportunity in a century to transform sanitation systems into a smart, sustainable and revenue-generating economy. By accelerating the Sanitation Economy, we can create a robust marketplace of new business opportunities that has been virtually untapped while improving the lives of 2.3 billion currently without toilets,” said Cheryl Hicks, Executive Director of the Toilet Board Coalition.
One Japanese toilet business, LIXIL, has a business arm called Social Sanitation Initiatives (SSI), which has a remit to pioneer new products and innovations that provide low income families with adequate ‘toilet and water technology solutions’. And it is developing new platforms relating to the Circular Sanitation Economy, one of three sub-economies that make up the Sanitation Economy, along with the Smart Sanitation Economy, and the Toilet Economy.
“The sanitation crisis is enormous in its magnitude. As a result, we need to be creative and smart in our solutions, as traditional flush toilets and sewer infrastructure is not universal. As a toilet manufacturer, we believe that the technology and resources to tackle this issue already exist. Together with sanitation entrepreneurs and other actors in the field, we need to harness our capabilities and provide high quality innovative and sustainable solutions that will build confidence in these new sanitation models among users and municipalities. Doing so will help bring the Sanitation Economy to life,” said Jin Montesano, Chief Public Affairs Officer, LIXIL Corporation.
