Five Ways LIXIL is Making a Difference on World Toilet Day 2018

• LIXIL is extending its sanitation initiatives, from raising awareness to field-testing and collaborating on innovative technologies
• So far, LIXIL’s SATO products have enabled access to basic sanitation for approximately nine million people around the world

Tokyo, Japan – LIXIL, maker of pioneering water and housing products, has its sights firmly set on improving global access to basic sanitation. To mark World Toilet Day, the company today announced five new initiatives to help tackle the global sanitation crisis – all while helping to develop the future sanitation economy.

From its revolutionary shower toilets to its “breathing” wall tiles that help control allergens, LIXIL has always focused on innovations that solve real consumer needs. But the company’s attention today isn’t solely on existing consumers; it believes that creating solutions for the 2.3 billion people that still don’t have access to basic sanitation is an opportunity to solve one of the world’s greatest social challenges, and to do so sustainably by helping to develop a future market.

“Whether we are designing the most luxurious toilets or the most affordable and functional, we are innovating and designing for people. People are at the heart of our solutions. We believe by creating solutions for the 2.3 billion people who today do not have access to basic sanitation will not only enable us to meet their needs, but also help drive demand from the consumer side,” commented Jin Song Montesano, Chief Public Affairs Officer atLIXIL, who oversees the company’s sanitation initiatives.

To date, LIXIL has already commercialized solutions such as its innovative and affordable SATO products. Having to defecate in the open, into an open pit, or over an inadequate pit latrine exposes millions of people to odors and disease. SATO products require little water to flush away waste compared to conventional toilets, while using a counterweighted trap door that closes to help keep out odors and flying insects that can spread disease.

Expanding on its global SATO operations, which have so far enabled access to basic sanitation for approximately nine million people in over 20 countries, LIXIL is now aiming to make an even bigger difference through five new initiatives:

1. Launching the Make a Splash! donations initiative with UNICEF
LIXIL and UNICEF announced a bold new international partnership earlier this year to tackle the sanitation challenge, called Make a Splash! Toilets for All. This initiative will contribute to global efforts to help 250 million people gain access to an adequate toilet by 2021. On World Toilet Day, LIXIL will launch an online donations page as part of its fund-raising activities to enable other interested parties to participate. Funds raised online will support the partnership’s on-the-ground market development and advocacy initiatives.