Safe toilets for the world

Preventing the spread of disease and pollution without using precious water resources is part of Cinderella Eco Group's philosophy. Its incinerating toilets ensure safe waste disposal without requiring a connection to sewerage or water. The incineration process leaves just a handful of ash, proven to be free from all disease-causing bacteria, which can easily be used as fertiliser or disposed of with ordinary household waste.

The company began production in Sweden in 1997 and moved to Norway in 1999. Since then, the factory in Lyngen, near Tromsø, has produced sustainable toilets for the Nordic market, and later for Europe, North America and Australia. The solutions are relevant not only to developing countries, but also to industrialised countries with ageing sewer systems that leak into drinking water and the environment.

Cinderella has recently been actively pursuing new markets across Africa and has benefited greatly from taking part in our Global Growth export programme.

'With expert advisory from Innovation Norway, both locally through its regional offices and through its international offices, we can expand internationally and develop products for new market segments at a pace we could not otherwise have achieved,' says Trude Margel, Communications Director at Cinderella Eco Group.

Sunniva Hellandsvik Storhaug, internationalisation advisor at Innovation Norway Møre og Romsdal, says it has been incredibly exciting to be part of the company's journey into new markets.

‘Not only do they continuously develop more innovative, customer-focused solutions for international markets, but they also have a genuine desire to make the world a better place.’

During 2020, the company also worked actively to increase its market share in the Canadian cabin market. Our Toronto office supported these efforts with advisory services and market analyses.

‘It has been a real pleasure to work with Cinderella here in Canada. The company has made sound decisions based on a methodical understanding of the market, its competitors and how it should position itself. I believe this will help secure the company’s continued growth, both here and elsewhere in the world,’ says Alana Prashad, Market Advisor at our Toronto office.

Sustainable solutions that combat littering in nature are a key priority for Cinderella. With support from Innovation Norway, the company has developed and tested a prototype public toilet solution for hikers. Visitors gained access using a code lock linked to an app, and the feedback was very positive. The company is now working on solutions to further harness the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT) and data collection.

'Thanks to the public support system, which opens doors and reduces the risks associated with resource-intensive investment in innovation and development, we can operate, develop and manufacture profitably in Norway while exploring new markets worldwide. This combination helps create jobs in Norway, increase technology exports and develop solutions that support the UN Sustainable Development Goals,' Margel emphasises.

Another project is under way in Hawaii, where 88,000 open cesspools used to temporarily store liquid waste pose a major environmental problem. Working with the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, Cinderella has developed a pilot solution that is being tested by researchers, technologists and local residents. With our support, the company is now conducting market research to identify opportunities and assess the potential for its solution in the Hawaiian market.

A market opportunity has also emerged in Greenland, where the permafrost makes it difficult to build the infrastructure needed for water supply and sewage systems. The bags used instead often leak, spreading harmful bacteria into the soil and sea. Large, central incineration facilities have been built to dispose of the waste safely, but reaching them takes a long time. Cinderella's incinerating toilets offer a simple way to solve the problem on site for each household. With valuable advisory from Innovation Norway and the Norwegian consul in Greenland, the company has now gained access to the Greenlandic market.