Impact through Global Partnerships | Global Sanitation & Hygiene | Impact

Our Approach

LIXIL is committed to accelerating access to global sanitation and hygiene through a range of impactful approaches. Beyond creating customer-centric products and distributing them via our network of local and global partners, we focus on empowering local communities, training masons and plumbers , and partnering with key organizations worldwide. Leveraging the achievements of our SATO social business, LPP and other key initiatives, we are steadfast in our target to improve the lives of 100 million people with improved sanitation and hygiene around the world by 2025.

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Building Local Capacity for Sustainable Sanitation Economies

Beyond product innovation, LIXIL collaborates with local manufacturers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to bolster regional production and distribution capacities, amplifying the reach and impact of SATO products. Our Make-Sell-Use business model is designed to create sustainable local sanitation economies by fostering entrepreneurship, creating jobs, and facilitating continuous local sanitation improvements.

A critical component of this model is the training of local masons and plumbers who install SATO toilets. To date, over 24,000 individuals, including women and young people from India, Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania, and other countries, have participated in our complimentary training programs, developed in partnership with NGOs and international organizations. These initiatives not only elevate toilet installation skills and individual incomes but also drive demand for local masons and retailers.

A training session in Uganda

Raising Awareness for Improved Sanitation and Hygiene Solutions

SATO Toilet Express in India

As an award-winning brand, SATO invests in marketing and communication and makes use of various strategies to reach and engage its target consumers. One of these activities was an awareness campaign in India to promote the benefits of SATO products and emphasize the importance of improved sanitation and hygiene. We've transformed a van into a mobile showcase of SATO products, which traveled through rural and peri-urban areas, making stops at schools and local markets. This direct community engagement strategy is aimed at raising awareness for product availability, safely managed sanitation and hygiene practices, while simultaneously increasing recognition of the SATO brand amongst local masons, households and other stakeholders.

School Toilet Enhancement Program (STEP)

Our School Toilet Enhancement Program (STEP) is dedicated to improving toilet facilities within African schools, thereby reducing health risks associated with inadequate sanitation and fostering awareness of hygiene practices among students, parents, and neighboring communities. Leveraging a cause-related marketing (CRM) campaign in Japan, we have expanded our reach to include 10 schools in Kenya. To date, our efforts have led to upgrading toilet facilities in 52 schools, directly benefiting over 69,000 students by the end of March 2024. In Rwanda, the program's success is evident, with 1,400 SATO Pans installed across 86 schools, eliminating the use of unsafe and unsanitary open-pit latrines for approximately 103,200 students. We are now actively seeking collaboration with both public and private entities to scale up this vital project and to diversify the range of inclusive toilet solutions we offer.

School Toilet Enhancement Program (STEP)

Scaling Up Impact through Collective Collaborations

Achieving our ambitious target of improving the lives of 100 million people through improved sanitation and hygiene is contingent on collective collaborations. Our partners range from influential international and national organizations, specialized institutions, NGOs, to businesses with water and sanitation expertise. Through these partnerships, LIXIL is dedicated to creating products tailored to local needs, building local production facilities and sales hubs, and fostering skill development. We are equally committed to creating demand for improved sanitation and hygiene solutions through robust sales promotion and awareness-raising activities.

Collaboration with key partners like UNICEF is vital. Their engagement with national industry associations and government agencies shapes policies that directly benefit communities through improved sanitation and hygiene initiatives. As a market leader in water-related products, LIXIL is committed to contributing both locally and globally to these policy developments through various partnerships. Through advocacy and strategic policy recommendations, we strive to positively influence global sanitation and hygiene solutions.We engage constructively with relevant authorities and other key stakeholders, leveraging our influence to advocate for positive changes in sanitation and hygiene policies.

Shared-value partnership with UNICEF

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF to accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 6.2 - achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and to end open defecation by 2030. As a shared-value collaboration, this partnership has made a remarkable impact, reaching over 12.7 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria by the end of 2023. The success of the initiative is anchored in its support for community-led total sanitation (CLTS) approaches and the focus on market strengthening through building access to finance and consumer demand.

UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product or service.

Now in its sixth year, based on the lessons learned from five years of sanitation and hygiene market strengthening, Make a Splash! global partnership continues to accelerate progress towards achieving SDG Target 6.2 levaraging expertise of LIXIL and UNICEF.

LIXIL’s commitment extends beyond the initiatives in six countries, with donations and awareness-raising activities that engage end users, professional users such as building contractors, and LIXIL employees:

Children with the donated SATO toilets

Cleanliness for All project: Donated a portion of the proceeds from sales of integrated shower toilets and Navish Hands-Free faucet for kitchens, etc. Campaign runs for three months every year (FYE2023 - FYE2024: approx. 43.8 million JPY)^*
Make a Splash! with LIXIL Owners Club: Donation made for every newly registered LIXIL Owners Club member. Campaign runs for three months every year, conducting awareness-building activities through our e-mail magazine (FYE2021 - FYE2024: approx. 6.6 million JPY)
Sanitation and Hygiene Action Project with Atsuto Uchida: Donation made based on the number of interactions with video and social media contents (FYE2022: approx. 700,000 JPY)
Energy for Life Campaign targeting 13 countries in Europe: Donated a portion of the proceeds from each GROHE brand shower product sold (FYE2022: approx. 1.2 million EUR)
Donation Campaign for the Netherlands and Belgium: Donated with the GROHE brand’s shower product sales promotion campaign (FYE2021: approx. 140,000 EUR)
Team Splash Employee Donation Program: Donated through automatic payroll deductions (FYE2019 - FYE2021: approx. 17 million JPY)
Toilets for All project: Donated a portion of the proceeds from each integrated shower toilet unit sold (FYE2020: approx. 26 million JPY)

* The total amount includes donations from LIXIL, calculated based on 1 USD donated per unit in FYE2023 and 135 JPY per unit in FYE2024. The money raised was donated to Kenya. The FYE2024 campaign included Navish Hands-Free faucet for washrooms.

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Overcoming Supply Chain Challenges in Africa and Asia

United States Agency for International Development（USAID）

In October 2021, LIXIL, in partnership with USAID, initiated the 'Partnership for Better Living' (PBL), a five-year cooperative agreement. This groundbreaking collaboration marks LIXIL's first direct partnership with USAID and aims to improve sustainable access to basic sanitation and hygiene for two million people by 2026. The initiative focuses on bolstering the supply chain's reliability and accessibility for products across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

PBL's study of the plastics manufacturing and distribution landscape in West Africa is instrumental in assessing potential avenues for SATO expansion in the region. Furthermore, PBL's in-depth interviews with various stakeholders—including NGOs that integrate SATO products into their programs, leaders of USAID Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) projects, and SATO manufacturers—provide valuable insights. The results are pivotal in identifying new sales and partnership opportunities, tackling supply chain challenges, and developing strategic approaches towards meeting our sanitation and hygiene target.

In FYE2024, the PBL initiative enabled SATO's entry into Madagascar, with a target of improving the lives of 500,000 people in the next three years. In Madagascar, identified as one of USAID’s Global Water Strategy High Priority Countries, a mere 12.3% of the population had access to basic sanitation services in 2022, as reported by the World Bank*. SATO's reliable and affordable sanitation solutions are well-positioned to create a substantial impact in this setting. The INVISO Group, a local business conglomerate, has been appointed as the import and distribution partner, ensuring the steady availability of SATO products within the local market.

* World Bank (A new page will open) >

Learn more about LIXIL’s partnership with USAID (A new page will open) >

Fostering Cross-sector Partnerships

Georgia Tech and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

LIXIL partners with Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to bring a game-changing solution to communities that lack access to sanitation infrastructure. The Generation 2 Reinvented Toilet (G2RT) developed by Georgia Tech, offers an accessible and sustainable alternative that operates independently of sewers or septic tank systems. In FYE2024, LIXIL was granted the first commercial license by Georgia Tech, following a four-year partnership and ongoing collaboration with the BMGF as part of its Reinvent the Toilet Challenge.

The G2RT neutralizes waste within the appliance itself without the need to be connected to a traditional sewage treatment infrastructure

As the commercial advisor, front-end designer, and manufacturer, LIXIL is pivotal in transforming G2RT technologies from prototypes to affordable, reliable, and user-friendly products ready for real-world use. This cross-sector collaboration is key to delivering these cutting-edge sanitation solutions to those who need them the most.

Learn more about LIXIL’s partnership on the G2RT (A new page will open) >

FINISH Mondial

In FYE2023, LIXIL and FINISH Mondial formalized a partnership that aims to address sanitation and hygiene challenges. FINISH Mondial is an organization that not only facilitates community and business access to financial services but also champions public-private partnerships, thereby accelerating the provision of toilets and other sanitation facilities. Together, our goal is to improve access to SATO's sanitation and hygiene solutions by integrating them with financial mechanisms such as loans, thereby improving the sanitation and hygiene environment in homes and promoting business growth within the sector.

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Peace Winds Japan

LIXIL collaborates with Peace Winds Japan, a Japanese non-profit organization, to advance sanitation and hygiene initiatives in Kenya. This collaboration focuses on community-driven and market-based sanitation and hygiene solutions. Peace Winds Japan has equipped the local communities with the necessary skills to become community champions, who in turn have trained refugees in reading and writing skills, financial literacy and marketing strategies. These efforts have led to the establishment of seven one-stop sanitation shops, which have successfully sold over 1,000 SATO Pans. The initiative has not only made a significant impact in combating open defecation but has also fostered a sustainable sanitation market and supply chain within the local communities.

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Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

LIXIL's efforts extend beyond direct community engagement, as it also collaborates with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to enhance sanitary conditions and ensure access to safe water in emerging markets of India and Africa. These initiatives emphasize the importance of educating both the public and government officials, highlighting the importance of improved sanitation and hygiene. Since FYE2021, LIXIL and JICA have been actively promoting the importance of hygienic practices such as handwashing in India. Additionally, since FYE2023, the collaboration has expanded to include webinars focused on global sanitation and hygiene practices for government officials responsible for public health in five African countries. These educational efforts play a vital role in advancing public health initiatives and improving the quality of life within these communities.

iDE, PSI, and Other NGOs

Our collaboration with multiple NGOs like International Development Enterprises (iDE) in Bangladesh and Population Services International (PSI) in Kenya is a testament to our strategic approach to ensure access to improved sanitation and hygiene solutions. By partnering with these NGOs, LIXIL is able to establish value chains that facilitate the installation of its SATO products. Moreover, these partnerships are crucial for engaging with local governments to advocate for policies that promote sanitation solutions, as well as for gathering valuable feedback for product development. This feedback loop ensures that SATO products continue to meet the evolving needs of these markets, thereby improving the lives of local communities through our offerings of improved sanitation and hygiene solutions.

Taking a Leading Role in Global Initiatives

Toilet Board Coalition (TBC)

LIXIL's engagement with the Toilet Board Coalition (TBC) underscores its dedication to addressing the global sanitation challenge through collaborative and innovative approaches. As a founding member, LIXIL proactively takes on leadership roles such as the Chair of the Coalition and participates as a member of the Steering Committee, which is instrumental in shaping TBC’s strategic direction and growth. Through active participation in the TBC's flagship Accelerator Program, now in its ninth year, LIXIL contributes to supporting the growth of sanitation businesses by providing them with business model coaching, mentorship from corporate leaders, and connections to investment opportunities. The coalition’s strategic focus on enhancing mentorship programs, increasing investment opportunities, and offering additional support, is designed to empower small and medium-sized enterprises and other entities in the sanitation sector, thereby scaling the impact of our efforts in creating sustainable sanitation solutions.

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Climate Resilient Sanitation Coalition (CRSC)

LIXIL's membership in the Climate Resilient Sanitation Coalition (CRSC) underscores the company's proactive stance on environmental issues and its dedication to sustainable sanitation and hygiene practices. By participating in the coalition, formed at COP27, LIXIL demonstrates its dedication to addressing the dual challenges of improving sanitation and combating climate change. This collaboration is essential for promoting investment in climate-resilient sanitation solutions, and ensuring that these critical services remain reliable and sustainable in the long term. As a member alongside prominent organizations like the World Bank, WHO, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, LIXIL is at the forefront of creating a more sustainable and resilient future.

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Sanitation and Water for All

The appointment of our CEO, Kinya Seto, to the Global Leadership Council of the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) in October 2023 is a testament to the recognition of LIXIL's efforts and leadership in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector. As the first private sector member of this global partnership, our presence together with over 400 national governments, private sectors and civil society organizations, and other development partners signifies the importance of cross-sector collaboration in addressing global WASH challenges. It also highlights LIXIL's role in contributing to the achievement of the SWA's objectives, which align closely with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. This appointment further solidifies LIXIL's dedication to driving change and fostering partnerships to ensure access to water and sanitation for all.

Learn more about the Global Leadership Council of Sanitation and Water for All (A new page will open) >

External Recognitions

LIXIL is honored with multiple awards for its ongoing commitment to delivering innovative and affordable sanitation and hygiene solutions and our SATO products, and initiatives to tackle challenges across the value chain as well as advocacy for improved sanitation and hygiene worldwide through collaboration with both the public and private sectors, NGOs and international organizations.

Recent Awards:

Designing Toilets for the Future

At LIXIL, we are dedicated to ensuring that everyone has access to improved sanitation and hygiene. Our team, comprising experts in technology, design, and product development, is at the forefront of pioneering new toilet systems. We engage in partnerships and collaborations that drive innovation and practical solutions in sanitation.

One of our groundbreaking projects is the development of the Generation 2 Reinvented Toilet (G2RT). This off-grid household system is ingeniously designed to treat human waste on-site, eliminating the dependency on traditional sanitation infrastructure. The G2RT represents a leap forward in our commitment to improving global sanitation practices.

SATO team member’s on-site meeting with customers

In parallel, our SATO business is focused on researching affordable treatment solutions for pit latrines. This initiative is part of our broader strategy to expand the SATO product portfolio, fostering a foundation for improved sanitation and hygiene solutions. Our goal is to address the needs of rural and peri-urban communities, bringing safely-managed sanitation within reach for all.

LIXIL continues to innovate for the future, aiming to transform the landscape of sanitation and hygiene across the globe.

MAKE A SPLASH！

LIXIL and UNICEF formed the Make a Splash! global partnership and strive to improve sanitation and hygiene.

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