Many CBS enterprises have a clear vision for future growth. But how to get there? What are the key stages of development? Which indicators matter most when attracting investment, building partnerships and demonstrating impact? Developed by Cewas for SHF, Scaling Pathways breaks the journey into distinct phases, showing how strategies, financing, partnerships and performance measures evolve as enterprises mature.
Drawing on experiences and data from sanitation business models across developing markets, including container-based sanitation (CBS), the resource provides a shared framework for enterprises, investors, funders, governments and other ecosystem actors. By mapping typical milestones, financing needs and strategic priorities, it supports stakeholders make more informed decisions about scaling, investment and long-term support.
Three insights from the framework for CBS services include:
Know what success looks like at every stage
The framework encourages stakeholders to look beyond the pilot phase and consider the longer-term pathway to sustainability. It maps out five stages of maturity: Piloting, Initial Growth, Expansion, Scaling to Break Even and Consolidation. By defining the operational, commercial and financing milestones associated with each phase, it helps break a complex journey into achievable steps.
This is particularly valuable as many CBS providers set their sights on public contracts. Achieving this transition will require patience and careful planning. In many cases, interim financing mechanisms, such as outcomes-based financing, will be needed to demonstrate provider readiness for public partnerships.
Focus on the right metrics at the right time
As sanitation enterprises grow, the metrics that matter evolve. The resource identifies the indicators that are most relevant at different stages of maturity. Customer acquisition, churn and operational efficiency are essential for building a strong service model, while evidence of impact, service expansion and cost-effectiveness become increasingly important when engaging governments and investors.
These measures also help funders and partners assess progress, understand enterprise readiness and make informed decisions about future support.
Build government partnerships early
One of the most important lessons from recent experience in CBS and other non-sewered sanitation approaches is that governments need to play a leading role from the outset. The framework highlights the importance of investing in advocacy and relationship-building early and treating government engagement as a core priority, particularly where public contracting is part of the pathway to long-term sustainability.
This also requires funders who can support not only early operations, but the longer-term systems change needed to embed CBS within urban sanitation systems.
The publication was launched through a series of webinars featuring enterprise leaders including Wali Mwalugongo, Fresh Life, and Samuel Opoku, Clean Team, who shared practical lessons from their own scaling journeys. The webinar recording offers additional insights for enterprises, investors, funders and sector partners interested in applying the framework. Watch the recording to learn more.
Download Scaling Pathways for Sanitation Business Models or learn more on the Cewas and Sanitation and Hygiene Fund (SHF) websites.
