How entrepreneurs can transform access to safe water – EY

How entrepreneurs can transform access to safe water  EY

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Oct 29, 2024 - 21:00 Updated: Nov 1, 2024 - 11:38
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How entrepreneurs can transform access to safe water – EY

Using IROC to blend perspectives and create a balanced scorecard

Insights from EY’s analysis of SWEs

  1. Consolidated in How can a trickle become a torrent? (pdf), a joint report with Unilever, launched at World Water Week in Stockholm last August
  2. These insights help illuminate a path to SWEs serving hundreds of millions of people and dramatically accelerating progress toward the goal of equitable access to safe drinking water for all

Scale is critical

  1. The report highlights the need for investors who are prepared to take a more balanced view of SWEs’ potential to generate returns
  2. It illustrates the criticality of scale to achieving true sustainability
  3. Scale depends on finding the best “fit” to a particular blend of market conditions

Consideration of affordability and location

  • RO may be the “gold standard” for water purification, but affordability rules it out as a scalable, sustainable option in certain parts of the world
  • In some locations, making water potable only requires removal of biological pathogens, making RO unnecessary
  • SWEs should avoid overengineering their business models based on these insights

EY and Unilever’s goals

  • EY and Unilever aim to advance investors’ understanding of the SWE sector
  • They hope to illustrate more viable paths to scale and stimulate greater investment
  • They also aim to direct further capacity-building support behind high-potential SWEs

Unlocking the potential of SWEs

  • The SWEs featured in the report already serve more than 15 million people
  • There is immense potential for these SWEs, and others like them, to bring safe, affordable water within reach of millions more people living at the base of the pyramid

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article:

  1. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
  2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
  3. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Specific targets under those SDGs based on the article’s content:

  • SDG 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.
  • SDG 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all.
  • SDG 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.

Indicators mentioned or implied in the article:

  • Access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
  • Investment in sustainable water enterprises
  • Capacity-building support for high-potential sustainable water enterprises

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs Targets Indicators
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. Access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all. Investment in sustainable water enterprises
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships. Capacity-building support for high-potential sustainable water enterprises

Analysis:

The article highlights the importance of achieving universal access to safe drinking water, which aligns with SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. The specific target mentioned in the article is SDG 6.1, which aims to achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030. The indicator implied in the article is “access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.”

The article also emphasizes the need for sustainable infrastructure development, which relates to SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. The specific target mentioned in the article is SDG 9.1, which focuses on developing quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all. The indicator implied in the article is “investment in sustainable water enterprises.”

Furthermore, the article highlights the importance of partnerships in achieving the goals of the sustainable water enterprise (SWE) sector, which relates to SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. The specific target mentioned in the article is SDG 17.17, which encourages and promotes effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships. The indicator implied in the article is “capacity-building support for high-potential sustainable water enterprises.”

Source: ey.com