Four highlights from last week’s global sanitation economy summit

Hi, it’s John here! Last week, I had the pleasure of attending and speaking at the Global Sanitation Economy Summit hosted by the Toilet Board Coalition. This summit brought together global movers and shakers in the sanitation sector, with the aim of showcasing best practices in sustainable sanitation and opportunities for organisations to incorporate these best practices into their work.

The data story was a key theme at the Global Sanitation Economy Summit held in Pune, India. This map shows the location of public toilets that can be monitored from Pune’s Smart City Control Centre.

The four-day Summit was packed with interesting panels, events, and discussions. I wanted to share some highlights from my experience at the Summit:

The sanitation sector is gaining much-needed momentum

The Toilet Board Coalition’s research tells a story of opportunity. The sanitation economy is more than just a problem of what to do with waste. Sanitation holds the key to unlock improved health, employment opportunities, effective public services and cleaner environments.

The number of entrepreneurs and early stage companies who are working to tackle the global sanitation crisis is a cause for hope! The key challenge is sustained investment, strong regulatory frameworks and cohesive decision making.