THE TOILET BOARD COALITION’S TOILET ACCELERATOR SELECTED
BY FAST COMPANY 2017 WORLD CHANGING IDEAS AWARDS
New York, March 27, 2017 — Fast Company has announced the winners of its premiere World Changing Ideas Awards, which honour businesses, policies, projects, and concepts that offer innovative solutions to the issues facing humanity. All of the finalists are highlighted in the April issue of the print magazine, which hits newsstands today.
Launched this year, the World Changing Ideas Awards seek to showcase and elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of eminent judges selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 1,200 entries in 12 categories, from Food to Energy to Developing World Technology.
“We are extremely honoured to have been selected for this award amongst a prestigious group of creative thought leaders and initiatives that will change the world,” said Cheryl Hicks, Executive Director, Toilet Board Coalition upon news of their selection. “Let us dedicate this award to all of the hard-working entrepreneurs in our network who are delivering sanitation through the market, and creating the business opportunity of the decade.”
“Fast Company has always insisted that being a force for good has to be a key element for any business,” says Fast Company editor and managing director Robert Safian. “These World Changing Idea award winners show how organizations around the world are embracing the ideals of creativity and innovation to create enormous impact.”
“Toilets change lives. Creative business approaches to delivering improved sanitation to all is at the centre of the Toilet Board Coalition’s work, and it presents a tremendous business opportunity,” said Mauricio Troncoso, Chairman Toilet Board Coalition and Managing Director Western Europe, Kimberly-Clark Corporation. “This recognition by Fast Company is highly valued and appreciated, and we hope it inspires more businesses join us. Universal access to sanitation is everyone’s business.”
The Toilet Board Coalition (TBC) was chosen as a finalist in the overall category for their Toilet Accelerator program. The challenge, of bringing sanitation to the 2.4 billion who lack it today, is proving one of the most intractable Sustainable Development Goals. The TBC brings a new, business-led, approach, demonstrating the economic and social advantage of providing sustainable sanitation through the market. The TBC’s approach is unique in working with SMEs and multinationals and bringing them into direct collaboration. Central to this is the Toilet Accelerator programme, where each year a cohort of sanitation businesses operating in low-gnome countries are supported and mentored by multinational corporation members of the Toilet Board.
MEDIA CONTACT: Alexandra Knezovich, knezovich@toiletboard.org
About the World Changing Ideas Awards: World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners and finalists based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With a goal of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start work on solving the problems that affect us all.
About the Toilet Board Coalition: The TBC is a business platform enabling private sector engagement; connecting large and small companies through their Toilet Accelerator; and ensuring close collaboration between private, public and non-profit sectors, with the common goal to accelerate the business of sanitation for all. It was formed in 2014 by four corporate members — Unilever, Kimberly-Clark, Firmenich, and Lixil, together with a partnership council comprising leading international organisations. www.toiletboard.org
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