LIXIL Corporation (“LIXIL”), a global leader in the housing and building industry, will launch its “Toilets for All” initiative for a second year running in order to help improve sanitation in developing countries, and raise awareness in Japan of global sanitation issues. For every LIXIL shower toilet sold in Japan from April through September 2018, LIXIL will donate one of its innovative SATO products – a series of affordable and durable toilets designed to improve sanitation and comfort in rural communities – to schools in developing countries in Asia and Africa.
This six-month project is aimed at raising awareness in Japan of global sanitation issues. During last year’s initiative (April to September 2017), LIXIL will donate 208,805 SATO products through UN organizations and international NGOs to help communities and people with urgent needs in India, Bangladesh, Tanzania, and Rwanda, improving sanitary conditions for around 1 million people.
Many schools around the world lack toilet facilities. Girls in particular are seriously affected by this problem, with many being forced to miss classes or drop out of school because of a lack of toilets, causing them to forego educational opportunities. A lack of sanitary facilities also keeps schools from attracting and retaining teachers, resulting in educational inequality due to a teacher shortage. Open pit latrines on school grounds are also a cause of mass infection.
SATO products help protect against illness and prevent bad smells and are designed so children can also use them with ease. LIXIL believes that by improving sanitary conditions at schools with these toilets, it can help improve educational inequality and the future livelihood of its students.
LIXIL has made “Global Sanitation & Hygiene” one of the key pillars of its corporate responsibility strategy, pledging to provide better sanitation to 100 million people by 2020. It will continue to actively pursue measures to achieve this goal, in order to resolve global sanitation issues with innovative products and sustainable business.
