Approximately 3.5 billion people still lack access to safely managed sanitation. The Toilet Board Coalition analysed that roughly 1 billion of these individuals are reachable through a customer-centric, market-based approach—called the Sanitation Economy.  

Public finance alone cannot solve the sanitation crisis, but by leveraging the power of business, a thriving Sanitation Economy can be built—transforming an unaffordable cost into a scalable, sustainable solution. While entrepreneurs worldwide are already innovating solutions to address this crisis, the scale and pace of growth of these businesses need to accelerate to achieve sanitation for all by 2030.  

To do so, we need collective action, where entrepreneurs innovate, investors provide capital, corporates offer scale and expertise, and governments enable the environment for growth.  

Founded in 2015, the Toilet Board Coalition accelerates business solutions to the global sanitation crisis. To date, it has graduated 88 SMEs, impacting more than 5.7 million people daily and unlocking US$40 million in finance. The Coalition facilitates vital partnerships between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), corporates, NGOs, investors and governments who share a commitment to achieve access to sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030 (SDG 6). 

We sit down with Ritesh Thareja, Leader India – SATO, part of LIXIL and India Director at the Toilet Board Coalition, to talk about driving solutions, shaping impact, and what’s next for the Sanitation Economy in India.

Read on as he shares his journey, reflections, and what lies ahead. 

Q1: Why did you choose to focus on sanitation?

RT: The simplest answer would be, because there is still a lot to do. When I joined LIXIL in 2022, I knew I was entering an exciting and challenging market. And within the first few months, I understand the breadth and depth of the need, I turned to the data: as of 2022, 16% of India’s population—around 230 million people—still lacked access to at least basic sanitation services. While this marks tremendous progress, India still accounts for nearly 20% of the global population without basic sanitation. I knew that our technology and business efforts could help close this critical gap. 

Q2: And how is LIXIL involved in driving solutions to this crisis? 

RT: As LIXIL, sanitation and hygiene is one of our strategic impact pillars. Not only that, but we established SATO as a business 12 years ago to tackle this challenge head-on. For that, we have established long-lasting relationships with manufacturers, distributors, retailers and other partners across Asia and Africa. SATO has also dedicated global and in-country teams who drive marketing, sales and partnership efforts.  

With SATO, we are working with local entrepreneurs and partners to create a robust retail chain and advanced products/solutions that create a better life for all our users. Our products are made locally, providing affordable and easy access to sanitation and hygiene solutions to people who need it the most.

In India specifically, working with reputed contractors SATO, part of LIXIL, have been able to provide safe sanitation to major events such as the Kumbh Mela, ensuring people have a safe place to release themselves. 

Q3: What’s one sanitation innovation from an SME that really stayed with you—and why? 

RT: One that really stood out to me is Banka-Bio, our 2022 Accelerator graduate, mentored by LIXIL. They’re an integrated sanitation and wastewater management solution provider with over 800 employees, having worked across 21+ states in India.  

Their Pluto FSTP,  with the Government of Telangana, tackles faecal sludge management using Geobag technology and GPS-enabled trucks for safe, monitored desludging. It’s a closed-bag, modular system that reduces odour, uses geotextiles to efficiently dewater sludge, and enables composting with minimal machinery—making it a scalable, locally grounded innovation that’s essential to building a strong Sanitation Economy. 

Q4: You’ve spent several years in India—how do you see the sanitation landscape evolving here? 

RT: With the effort of the private sector and government, sanitation today is not a taboo conversation anymore.  There is now a sense of pride in having toilets, which wasn’t there earlier. Starting from ‘let’s build toilets’, today the country is working towards waste to wealth. This shift has been gradual but sustainable. I see sanitation evolving from just infrastructure to a complete economy, where a household will be able to create wealth from waste.  

The skill set present in India around sanitation is unique and resilient. The diverse terrain comes with its unique problems and brings interesting solutions.  

The Sanitation Economy in India is expected to experience significant growth. The Indian ‘Speciality Cleaning and Sanitation Market’ is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.5% between 2025 and 2031, reaching USD 4,976 million. This growth is fueled by rising awareness of hygiene-related diseases, urbanisation, and government support for improved sanitation practices. The Toilet Board Coalition estimates that the broader Sanitation Economy represents a $148.2 billion market opportunity in India by 2030—underscoring the potential for innovation, investment, and impact across the ecosystem. 

Q5: What’s the biggest misconception people still have about sanitation? 

RT: I would say there are a few, and to be honest, some are contradictory to each other.  

1. Problem of Sanitation 

The ‘problem’ of sanitation is a thing of the past – with the success of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), a belief that sanitation is now easily accessible to all, and that no further innovations or efforts are required.  

2. Toilets = Sanitation 

Building a toilet is just a small part of the economy of sanitation. It starts with research and listening to the market, creating a product that is the right solution, training the labour, supplying the product, and ends with creating another channel of waste management. This complete journey and every part of it are critical to safe sanitation for all. 

3. The Misconception

This, I believe, is the biggest misconception of all — approximately 23 million girls in India reportedly drop out of school annually due to inadequate sanitation facilities, specifically the lack of proper toilets. Just that number paints a picture of the impact accessible sanitation can make on our population. 

Q6: What’s next on your agenda to advance sanitation innovation in India and across Asia? 

RT: We at LIXIL are adding new products to our range and are expanding into different countries. Adding more partners to our roster and providing solutions in critical humanitarian settings has created a long-lasting impact. We continue to work closely with our manufacturers to deliver the solutions that our customers need and want, at a price that they can pay, and to a place which is close to them. That’s not an easy task by any means, and at LIXIL, we are more committed than ever to fulfilling our customers’ expectations whilst we create better lives every day. 

Q7: As India Director at the Toilet Board Coalition – what are you most excited about for the rest of the year? 

RT: This year is crucial for SATO and LIXIL as we work hard to achieve our vision to improve the lives of 100 million people, which is a huge milestone for us. With India being a large part of this vision, I am looking forward to focussing on forging new partnerships that will amplify the accessibility for our products. We are also working closely towards projects of great social impact that can help meet this important goal. As usual, SATO, part of LIXIL, continues to work closely with our masons and retailers, growing the sanitation economy, and we have a new, exciting loyalty programme that they can join. I am also looking forward to meeting and seeing the new Cohort grow. 

As Ritesh highlights, progress in the sanitation sector requires more than infrastructure—it demands collaboration, innovation, and investment. The Toilet Board Coalition’s sector-leading Accelerator continues to play a vital role in this ecosystem, supporting the growth of Sanitation Economy businesses serving low-income communities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. With the support of LIXIL and other Members and donors, the Accelerator has evolved into a proven platform—offering entrepreneurs business model coaching, corporate mentorship, and access to investment.  

Join us in accelerating business solutions to the sanitation crisis—because access for all starts with action today. 

Learn how you can engage here.