The Government of India has set an ambitious target in its Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) to create an India that is open defecation free by 2019, and has called for corporates, development partners, and all other relevant stakeholders to pool efforts for sustainable, scalable solutions. To achieve this, activities are focused around changing behaviours to encourage people to demand toilets, and of course constructing the toilets. The Government has created a conducive environment for sanitation by developing flexible yet comprehensive guidelines on sanitation, and a space for companies to engage.

The white paper on “Corporate Engagement in Sanitation: The Value Proposition” is a product of India Sanitation Coalition (ISC) and Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA), an international learning and sharing platform that encourages discussions based on thematic areas. It welcomes the inputs of experts from all over the world to encourage cross-learning through different national contexts. This platform is supported by GIZ with its secretariat based in Germany.

The paper highlights Defined Forms of Engagement for Corporates in Sanitation, Investing Strategically into Sanitation and the crucial role India Sanitation Conclave can play.