American Standard Announces Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action to Improve Global Sanitation

PHILADELPHIA, GREENBUILD (November 20, 2013) – American Standard announced an official Commitment to Action with the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) this week, pledging to improve sanitation and quality of life for three million people around the world from 2014 through 2017. Including the 2.5 million residents of Bangladesh receiving safer sanitation assistance during 2013 and 2014, American Standard will reach an estimated 5.5 million people by 2017. 

Earlier this year, American Standard launched the Flush for Good campaign aimed at increasing awareness of the global sanitation crisis and creating innovative solutions to help stop the spread of disease caused by inadequate sanitation facilities in developing countries. The company has partnered with organizations including BRAC, Save the Children and other NGOs to research, develop, and distribute a pioneering sanitary toilet pan that is easy to use and inexpensive to produce, incorporates local bathroom practices, and effectively reduces the transmission of disease.

Following eight months of research and field testing in Bangladesh, American Standard unveiled the SaTo (pronounced SAH-toh, derived from “Safe Toilet”) sanitary toilet pan in early 2013. The company invented the SaTo, which works without a sewer infrastructure, using ingeniously simple mechanical and water seals to close off pit latrines from the open air, thereby reducing the transmission of disease. The company anticipates donating more than 500,000 SaTos to communities in Bangladesh during 2013, helping an estimated 2.5 million residents to improve their quality of life through safe sanitation facilities. 

Expanding upon this initial mission, American Standard will use a recent grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a new toilet system that works in areas where water is scarce. Field research is currently underway focusing on the sanitation issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. The company's goal is to distribute 600,000 of this newly designed toilet product for use by an estimated three million people in the rural populations of both Bangladesh and Sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2017.

The Clinton Global Initiative brings together highly influential individuals from across the globe, including heads of state, CEOs, Nobel Prize laureates and leaders of NGOs, all with a mission of turning ideas into action. More than 2,500 Commitments to Action have been made by CGI members since the Initiative was founded in 2005, to the benefit of an estimated 430 million people around the world.

Worldwide, 2.5 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation facilities. Every day, 2,000 children die from diseases caused by this lack of proper sanitation. The United Nations has set a 2015 Millennium Development Goal of reducing by half the proportion of people who lack access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

The work being done by American Standard in Bangladesh and Sub-Saharan Africa is designed to help make this goal a reality. “American Standard has embarked on a mission to save lives through safe sanitation,” said Jay Gould, president and CEO of American Standard. “We take our Commitment to Action very seriously. Our company is proud to be part of the solution addressing the critical need for improved sanitation in these developing areas of the world.”

For more information on the Flush for Good campaign, visit www.americanstandard.com or www.flushforgood.com. Learn more about the Clinton Global Initiative at www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

ABOUT AMERICAN STANDARD BRANDS

American Standard Brands make life healthier, safer and more beautiful at home, at work, in the community and throughout the world. Offering total project solutions for residential and commercial customers around the world with respected brands such as American Standard^®, Jado^®, Porcher^®, Safety Tubs^®, Crane Plumbing^®, Eljer^®, Fiat^® and Decorative Panels International^®. American Standard Brands is owned by Lixil Corporation (TSE Code 5938), a global building products company. Learn more atwww.americanstandard.com, or follow us at twitter.com/AmStandard, www.facebook.com/AmericanStandardPlumbing

SaTo^™ and Flush for Good^™ are trademarks of American Standard Brands.

ABOUT THE CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE (CGI)

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,300 commitments, which are already improving the lives of more than 400 million people in over 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $73.5 billion.

CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

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