Digital Transformation as an Enabler for Advanced Services in the Sanitation Sector

Abstract

People in Base of the Pyramid markets still face difficulties when it comes to sanitation. Container-based Sanitation (CBS) services represent a promising advanced sanitation service. Despite the observed outcomes of CBS services, organizations face obstacles when providing these services. To overcome these obstacles, digital transformations of these services are being carried out. We rely on multiple case studies to understand these digital transformations. Our findings highlight (1) the challenges these case organizations faced before engaging in the digital transformation, (2) their individual digital transformation pathways, and (3) a general framework for digital transformations in BoP markets. Keywords:Container-based Sanitation; advanced services; Internet of Things; Base of the Pyramid; WASH; sanitation MotivationThe 4 billion people in the world who subsist on a few dollars a day are often referred to as the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) [1]. Much of the BoP population lacks access to necessary services [2,3] such as water, sanitation, and energy. Considering our empirical context of sanitation, 2.4 billion people do not have access to a toilet that is connected to a sewage system or vaults that are regularly emptied and serviced [4], 892 million of which practice open defecation [5]. In addition, the excreta of 4.5 billion people is not safely treated or disposed of properly [5]. To better serve the BoP population, organizations need to move beyond offering basic sanitation products to the BoP population.A typical illustration of a basic sanitation product is the building of pit latrines, without concern for the wider excreta management system. While this approach can be designed to be very affordable, scalable, and even suitable for rural areas, it is not suitable for densely populated, informal, urban areas. In such conditions, basic sanitation offerings do not guarantee how and where excreta enters a sanitation system; how and for how long it is contained on site; how it is transported to a treatment facility; how it is treated; and how it is finally disposed of or re-utilized [6]. A system-perspective is critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6.2 "... access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation" and 6.3 "... improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally" [7].Therefore, organizations should create advanced sanitation services. The idea of advanced services originates from the servitization discussion describing how product companies are increasingly transitioning from offering products to basic services, and from basic services to advanced services [8]. Advanced services are generally distinguished by their focus on outcomes and the tight links to the necessary capabilities for achieving these outcomes [8].Container-based Sanitation (CBS) ...

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