In 2018, LIXIL and UNICEF established the Make a Splash! (MaS!) partnership to support Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6. As the most significant shared-value partnership for water, sanitation, and hygiene within UNICEF, and with such a successful track record, the partnership has been extended for another three years.
LIXIL’s joint report with UNICEF recapping the last five years of the MaS! partnership offers critical lessons for public and private entities aiming to scale sanitation markets for global communities.
The MaS! partnership has improved sanitation for 2.9 million people in their first three years, expanding to reach 12.7 million by 2023 across Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania. Supporting government and community-led initiatives, activities have included providing affordable products, strengthening information systems to improve decision-making, and renovating schools and health facilities.
Over the last five years, the MaS! partnership has directed over $2 million from government budgets and facilitated nearly $6 million in loans in Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, and Nigeria. The partnership has boosted the sanitation market, empowering governments in these countries to lead and secure the right to sanitation. The partnership trained over 738,000 stakeholders, leading to over 40 improved policy instruments.
The need for improved sanitation remains urgent, as an estimated 3.5 billion people – nearly half of the world’s population – still lack safe sanitation. This leads to devastating consequences, with approximately 1,000 children under five dying daily from diarrheal diseases caused by unsafe water, sanitation, and hand hygiene. As population growth and climate change exacerbate these issues, safe sanitation becomes an increasingly critical global priority.
Erin McCusker, Senior Vice President and Leader of SATO and LIXIL Public Partners at LIXIL has been instrumental in steering these efforts. Leading businesses and initiatives across LIXIL to deliver on the company’s purpose of making better homes a reality for all. SATO, LIXIL’s award-winning flagship social business, develops innovative sanitation and hygiene solutions that improve daily life for communities worldwide. Under McCusker’s leadership, SATO is positioned for its next growth phase in product innovation, business models, and geographic reach, aligning with LIXIL’s ambitious goal of improving the lives of 100 million people by 2025.
Within the broader LIXIL Group, McCusker is responsible for the new LIXIL Public Partners and Hydrific ventures. These initiatives emphasize the need for innovation and new partnerships with consumers and the public sector to address water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges, building resiliency and adapting to our changing world. McCusker also played a crucial role in LIXIL being named the first commercial license partner for Georgia Tech’s Generation 2 Reinvented Toilet (G2RT) Consortium’s technologies. This toilet is designed to operate independently of traditional infrastructure, helping prevent water system contamination.
As the sanitation sector evolves, the MaS! partnership has played a crucial role in the countries it operates by enhancing engagement with the policy factors that either facilitate or impede global access to safe hygiene.
