Water, Sanitation & Poverty Eradication

Access to Menstrual Health & Hygiene Products in Rural Ethiopia

Menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) is a term used to encapsulate the broader systemic factors that link menstruation with health, well-being, equity, empowerment, and individual rights. Leveraging their expertise in market sanitation in Ethiopian communities, a team of iDE-ers sought to expand the organization’s approach through an exploratory study of MHH.

Gender, Health, Water and Sanitation

October 16, 2022

Global Goals 2022 – Day 1_WORKSHOP_RECKITT

Our workshop explored “How can we accelerate access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene?” and addressed the challenges of achieving SDG6. Community-led social businesses,

Water and Sanitation

September 20, 2022

Turbo-charging D2C sales for an impact sanitation product

At Archipel&Co, we’ve been working on last mile sales and distribution and sanitation products and services for decades. We were thrilled at the opportunity to combine the two in supporting SATO by LIXIL to identify, prioritise and execute a channel strategy for market-based distribution and sales in Ghana. Explore the case study here.

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Water and Sanitation

July 20, 2022

How businesses and young people can collaborate to be a force for development

Clean water and sanitation for all is a critical Sustainable Development Goal which has only become more significant in the global pandemic. In rural Tanzania the spread of water-borne diseases affects everyday lives, so Raleigh International young people teamed up with Reckitt employees, and found an impactful way to combat this problem.

Partnerships, Water and Sanitation, Youth

December 8, 2021

Announcing the launch of the GSMA Innovation Fund for Digital Urban Services

Do you leverage digital technology to deliver urban services with social, economic and environmental Impact? if you do so in the fields of plastic and waste management, energy, water or sanitation, the newly launched GSMA fund could support you. Red on to learn more.

Energy, Finance and Investment, Technology, Water and Sanitation

May 24, 2021

Gender is a significant factor in private sector and disaster management

The Connecting Business initiative (CBi) new publication presents the importance of gender in private sector and disaster management, as well as the interconnections between these fields. It includes an introduction to the topic, the results of the research, a special chapter on COVID-19, three case studies and a mapping of close to 200 resources.

Gender, Health, Technology, Water and Sanitation

March 8, 2021

Impact enterprises collaborate with the public sector to provide sanitation services

Solutions to the global sanitation crisis can be generated by a multilateral approach, blending the expertise, research and support of the private sector with the focus and structure of the public sector to enable innovative local enterprises to deliver long-term, desirable solutions. This approach is increasingly being implemented, with a number of examples of businesses, enterprises and public sector stakeholders working together to deliver lasting responses to the sanitation crisis.

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Water and Sanitation

January 6, 2021

Don’t simply restart the engine; building back better means re-tooling

Not only has the Covid-19 pandemic affected our health and personal lives, it has also and continues to, fundamentally challenge our political, social, and economic norms. Most notably it has impacted how many of us think about tackling the big issues like climate change. In this article we will talk about the similarities and differences in tackling this big issue. We will also discuss how, as we continue to emerge out of lockdown, we need to start to re-tool in order to build back better, rather than simply restarting the engines again.

Climate & Environment, Climate Justice, Water and Sanitation

September 10, 2020

How a Sanitation Waste Partnership is Transforming Cities in Bangladesh

After four years of testing how entrepreneurs can deliver sanitation services to the poorest urban citizens in Bangladesh, a business model developed by Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor is starting to create significant change. To mark World Toilet Day, we are reflecting on how this business model is achieving what very few other approaches have achieved: financially viable sanitation services which benefit low-income residents.

Water and Sanitation

November 19, 2019

In Memoriam: Tribute to Paul Polak – Market-Based Development Pioneer 1933 – 2019

On the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we remember the life and impact of Paul Polak, Market-Based Development Pioneer, who sadly passed away on 12 October.

Innovative Business Models, Water and Sanitation

October 17, 2019

Bringing the Lessons of Clean Sanitation Home

Having access to clean toilets is not just a basic human right – it’s also a health necessity. But in India, nearly 50 million people[1] lack access to adequate sanitation, increasing the risk of water contamination and diseases for these individuals.

Innovative Business Models, Water and Sanitation

September 11, 2019

How We Got Our Toilet Business Moving Again

By May 2018, we knew something was missing in the business model for Sama Sama, a toilet business iDE had started in rural Ghana in 2016.1 After two years of knocking on doors, sales were lower than expected or desired. This is a sure sign that another round of design is needed.

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Water and Sanitation

May 7, 2019

New Ideas are Essential to Ward off Global Water Shortage Threat

Katharine Teague, Head of Advocacy at AB Sugar, explains why one of the world’s leading sugar businesses has created The Innovate Irrigation Challenge in partnership with WaterAid and the Centre for Industrial Sustainability at the University of Cambridge.

Agriculture, Water and Sanitation

May 7, 2019

Water-Wise Coffee: Making Sustainable Business Profitable in Ethiopia

As greater traceability and ever-growing consumer interest in coffee origins increase the incentives for sustainable production, more opportunities to align profits and sustainability will emerge. If we are innovative and approach problems from a business perspective, we can help the supply chain grow even greener.

Agriculture, Climate & Environment, Climate Justice, Water and Sanitation

April 24, 2019

How Can We Address the Global Sanitation Challenge? Insights from “Make a Splash! Toilets for All”

Japan’s maker of water and housing products, LIXIL, has invested in a sustainable social business – SATO – to help bring affordable toilets to those that need them. In 2018, their work on SATO led them to a new partnership, “Make a Splash! Toilets for All” with UNICEF to tackle the global sanitation challenge. How did this partnership evolve and what has been learnt along the way?

Innovative Business Models, Partnerships, Water and Sanitation

March 11, 2019

Can Global Partners Collaborate with Local Entrepreneurs and Find Solutions to Urgent Urban Water Challenges in Bangalore?

A recent report predicted that Bangalore might be the next major city to face water shortages. The National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) expects Bangalore to run out of groundwater within just two years – this is in addition to the challenges that the booming city already faces in terms of water sanitation.

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Partnerships, Water and Sanitation

February 13, 2019

Partnerships – All Talk and No Action?

Does the cost and complexity of partnerships mean that most organisations should focus more, and collaborate less?

Global Goals, Partnerships, Water and Sanitation

November 26, 2018

Water and Sanitation

Water and Sanitation for Poverty Reduction

Navigating Climate Change and Water Security at COP28: A Podcast Overview