Clean Water

Access to clean and safe drinking water remains a major global challenge despite various projects and initiatives. The current water and sanitation market system is fragmented and mainly focused on standalone projects with a clear start and end. As a result, the sustainable transition is too slow, and scalable, integrated solutions are lacking.

Moreover, financing new large-scale models is difficult. The value of water is insufficiently quantified, and alternative models often require a larger upfront investment. The urgency is mostly felt by local communities without clean water, while the pressure to drive change lies primarily with funders and water sector companies.

This project brought together diverse stakeholders to analyze the current market system using the ‘Changing the game’ model for Sustainable Market Transformation. Barriers, rules, and bottlenecks that hinder accelerating sustainable water and sanitation provision were mapped out.

Based on this analysis, a strategy was developed to strengthen collaboration between aid organizations, commercial companies, governments, and other stakeholders. The strategy focuses on combining aid and trade to create an integral, collective approach that accelerates the water sector’s transition.

The project shows that accelerating sustainable transition requires new forms of collaboration, clear rules, and a shared focus on long-term impact. This creates room for scalable and viable models that contribute to sustainable access to water and sanitation worldwide.

€43,300 will be used as a PPP program grant.