Publication database

This report investigates the demand for toilets in rural India, and the availability of quality and affordable products as well as financing for unlocking this demand. It proposes sanitation business models that could profitably deliver solutions that meet customer needs, and it highlights players in the sanitation ecosystem who could serve as the “market maker,” conducting market-building activities and creating an enabling environment for growth. It is a project output of 3SI, a 5-year project supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which aimed to develop scalable private-sector business models for the local sanitation market.

This article aims to illustrate how investors can help social enterprises navigate the path towards scale and sustainability by reviewing the story of Acumen investee 'Waterhealth International'. It outlines the challenges and successes faced by entrepreneurs and investors in determining the right types of capital to support the social enterprise.

This report provides a review of current WASH programmes together with a new framework which focuses on effectiveness, sustainability and scale. It presents emerging data from interventions that have implemented elements of systemic change in the WASH sector, demonstrating both successes and failures in the context of broader political and economic constraints within a system.

This report illustrates the challenges and benefits of inclusive recycling. It provides a toolkit which facilitates the integration of gender into recycling projects, and an analysis of women's and men's access to control over and benefit from resources in the recycling sector in Latin America and the Caribbean. It offers practical tools for project design and implementation for project managers which allow to increase the access of poor women to the formal recycling market.

This report outlines lessons for scale-up deriving from WSUP’s 2008-2012 urban sanitation programme in Maputo (Mozambique) and Antananarivo (Madagascar). Suggestions on useful strategies include: supporting realistic sanitation planning by demonstrating workable solutions, and providing usable technical and financial plans.

This study examines for-profit water-vending kiosks, Water Health Centers (WHCs) in rural Ghana to determine their association with household drinking water quality. WHCs' design includes surface water treatment using filtration and ultraviolet light disinfection along with community-based hygiene education.

This case study explores the impacts that Sanergy, a venture providing sanitation facilities and franchising opportunities to the BoP in Kenya, has on children aged eight and under and on pregnant women. The study finds that Sanergy mainly has positive health impacts on the study’s target population.

This report maps 41 models that are currently being deployed around the world in the sanitation sector. It covers 19 models in detail including their approach, reach, and potential for scaling up via the market.

This policy brief describes the results of a randomized controlled trial in Cambodia testing the impact of offering microfinance institution (MFI) loans for latrines versus cash on delivery. Key findings are: (1) MFI loans increased latrine sales four-fold, (2), MFI loans decreased marketing and sales cost per latrine by 70%, and (3) MFI loans increased purchase rates at any price.

This case study showcases SEED 2010 award winner Mooi River Waste, a South African based enterprise that is normalising the workforce of informal waste pickers, providing a safer source of income and employment and increasing the rate of recycling in the area. The study outlines the local development challenges and the highlighted solution; the development impact and reach; and the success factors and challenges in building the inclusive eco-enterprise.