Challenges and mobilization on November 19

Almost half the world's population, i.e. 3.6 billion people, still do not have access to a properly managed sanitation system. The environmental and health consequences are considerable, since environmental and water contamination encourages the development of numerous diseases (diarrhea, etc.) in the populations concerned.

Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2022. https://washdata.org/

The theme chosen for World Toilet Day 2024, “toilets for peace”, highlights the importance of improving and protecting people's access to inclusive sanitation if we are to build a more equitable and peaceful world. Sanitation for all is a right [1]. However, the lack of interest in the issue of sanitation on the part of society as a whole is hampering its application worldwide.

Even in Europe, where the sanitary situation of domestic households is comfortable, action is still needed to guarantee safe and dignified access to toilets in the public sphere.

Health challenges in an urban environment

Access to public toilets in European towns and cities is still a headache for many users: indeed, to date, there are no official statistics on their situation and distribution in Europe.

If we look at the French situation alone, according to the Académie de l'Eau, there are some 14,000 public toilets in the country.

A ranking drawn up in 2023 by the newspaper Le Monde [2], based on Open Street Map data, shows Paris as the European champion in terms of the number of public toilets per square kilometer, with 6.72 toilets recorded. Zurich comes 3rd with 2.90 public toilets per km².

Given that a person is expected to use a toilet approximately every 3 hours, how can we justify the fact that there are so few public toilets?

Infrastructures are old [3], often dilapidated or poorly maintained. As a result, 4 out of 10 French people [4] say they give up using public toilets.

To ignore this issue is to ignore a whole section of the population who are restricted to public spaces: pregnant women who need to go to the toilet more regularly, the elderly, the 10 million people with digestive problems and young children.

Yet urban mobility has changed considerably in just a few decades: new modes of travel have emerged, and so have travellers' needs. We spend more time outdoors, and no longer simply commute to work: our growing mobility is a strength for society. Infrastructure must therefore evolve in the direction of urban walkability, accessible to all.

The installation and modernization of infrastructures would have a real impact on the quality of life of citizens and tourists alike, and would be a response to various social phenomena, such as the increase in mobile professions (drivers, delivery drivers, carers on the road) or the growing number of disabled people who are aging or suffering from chronic illnesses.

World Toilet Day: a time for thinking

World Toilet Day is an opportunity to reflect on how to innovate in the face of today's challenges.

Having more public toilets means re-imagining the urban ecosystem to enhance collective well-being, hygiene and public health.

It's also about promoting social inclusion, improving public services and raising a city's profile. In short, it's about finding a concrete solution to an urban policy blind spot.

Creating social value for users means optimizing the use of existing resources, which are all too often under-exploited. This can be achieved by developing a network of solidarity between the various urban players: shopkeepers, local authorities and users, putting well-being at the heart of their mutual respect.

What if local establishments were to make toilets available to the general public, thereby promoting a human approach while offering themselves new promotional opportunities? What if toilets became a loss leader?

By developing a platform based on a new mode of urban governance in which public policy and private players participate in transforming a social challenge into a collective opportunity, benefiting all users of public space, without discrimination, we're betting on a sustainable economic system where innovation makes sense in everyone's everyday life.

BubblesMapper supports World Toilet Day

At BubblesMapper, we've made access to well-being our priority. BubblesMapper is a local microservices platform currently being deployed.

Every day, we want to make well-being our priority. By offering travelers access to public and soon private infrastructures, we aim to satisfy our users' basic physiological needs. Too often denied, they are the key to well-being.

Our aim is to democratize access to healthcare infrastructures: a fundamental need that is all too often neglected by optimizing and sharing existing resources, by proposing an alliance between the public and private sectors at the service of citizens.

BubblesMapper currently covers 9 countries: France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Spain, Italy, the UK and Ireland. In discussion with potential private partners, we are working to make public spaces more accessible.

We also believe that beyond toilets, other wellness services should be a priority. Whether it's a place to freshen up, shower or change your child, we want to make urban space more attractive and inclusive.

It's everyone's responsibility to improve public services. We're convinced that it's by putting everyone's well-being back at the heart of the public interest that we'll build the cities of tomorrow. Joining us means supporting a model of social innovation in which the human factor once again becomes a priority.

Whether you're a public institution or a local authority, join us in this wonderful adventure.

Press contact:
Azzura BENOIT
press@bubblesmapper.com