What We Do /
Next Generation Sanitation
Next Generation Sanitation is a new approach which brings innovative solutions, new technologies, sustainable financing models all of which are climate resilient, regenerative and gender responsive.
Sanitation and hygiene have the power to define the quality of our lives, the health of our communities, and the future of our planet. But to achieve equitable access, especially in lower income contexts, a radical departure from the way we approach, and finance, sanitation and hygiene is needed.
The current approaches to expanding access to safely managed sanitation are not delivering the change that is needed in the timeframe that we need.
Sustainable financing models
Next Generation Sanitation represents a unique investment opportunity and a business response to the global sanitation and hygiene crisis.
Based on an advanced understanding of market based approaches and sanitation market maturity, SHF works with countries and partners to develop tailored technical assistance (TA) packages to support the development of viable, scalable business and impact models and identify the right catalytic financing modalities - including public-private partnerships, blended finance, impact investing, and microfinance.
In each target country, SHF works with subnational actors and utilities to improve capacity and conditions for local sanitation investment planning and infrastructure project financing. Through tailored capacity-building, SHF ensures that adequate business models are in palace, and supports technological innovations to make sanitation services more efficient, and affordable.
Read more about our Catalytic Financing approach here
Off-grid technology
At the core of Next Generation Sanitation are a range of non-sewered sanitation systems, also referred to as; decentralised, off-grid, on-site sanitation systems. Non-sewered sanitation, as opposed to sewered sanitation, is the only viable way that vastly increased access to safely managed sanitation can be achieved. This is not just a challenge of the global south as many countries in Europe and North America are turning to these types of technologies to provide for their citizens.
Climate smart & regenerative
Next Generation Sanitation not only offers significant investment potential with broad societal and economic benefits, it also reduces the environmental footprint and contributes to climate resilience. Next Generation Sanitation is resilient to climate change, taking account of current and future availability of water, risk of flooding or other natural disasters.
Through the development of circular sanitation economies, improved environmental and climate outcomes are added to the economic benefits of job creation and activity created through every step of the value chain.
Next Generation Sanitation includes systems that do more than manage waste; they reclaim it, repurpose it, and aim for scale and sustainability by reconfiguring the sanitation value chain and activating local sanitation markets.
Read more about sanitation, climate and sustainability here.
Effective operations & maintenance
SHF works with countries to build and bolster the different components of the value chain to ensure toilets or handwashing facilities are not only created but also maintained, emptied and durable with waste being collected, transported and treated, including for reuse.
This helps ensure that communities not only benefit from access to products and services but their health and well-being is also ensured, along with that of the environment.
Gender responsive
Investing in Next Generation Sanitation is investing in women and girls. This is about providing products and services that meet the specific needs of women and girls as consumers, while ensuring that women are part of decision-making processes, that they have access to adequate financing as business owners, and that they benefit equally from job opportunities in the sector.
Read more about our gender responsive approach here.
User preference
SHF works with countries looking to grow their sanitation economies based on their specific context and challenges that they face. While being product agnostic, SHF ensures that sanitation products and services are adapted to country contexts and to the community, accessible to all, taking in particular gender considerations into account.
