Building a Resilient Business Around Women: The story of Dagoretti
Published: 28 September 2020 Amanda Panella, Linde Wolters
Violet Matiru grew up without electricity on a farm at the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, an aspect of her life that led her to want to better the environment around her. From using kerosene lamps and lighting a fire every day with firewood for a cup of tea before school, she decided to support herself and her community by launching the Dagoretti Market Biogas Latrine. It has since moved from a core business of converting human waste from paid for latrines for market goers, to biogas to be reused for cooking and heating water, to other environmentally and socially relevant activities. Read more
SDGs:
Green Recovery Ecosystem Builder Programme: Making SME support programmes green, fair and recovery proof
Published: 10 September 2020
SMEs make up a significant portion of ASEAN economies and communities. Despite being impacted negatively by the pandemic, they are also key in driving local green and inclusive growth. The new Green Recovery Ecosystem Builder Programme is tailored for participants who lead programmes or departments and are responsible for the successful implementation of enterprise support services. Read more
Eco-Inclusive Enterprises: Accelerating Southern Africa’s Green and Inclusive Economies
Published: 02 September 2020
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) provide 50% of jobs, contribute to over 35% of the GDP in emerging economies, and overall make up 90% of registered firms across the world. They are especially impactful in emerging economies as they work toward inclusive growth and equality for marginalised populations. At SEED, we focus on growing eco-inclusive enterprises which in turn contribute socially, economically, and environmentally to empowering the 5.2 billion people at the bottom of the pyramid worldwide.
This report examines the yearly impact of 80 of our eco-inclusive enterprises in three of our SEED countries: Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. These locally embedded enterprises, 51% of which are women-led, demonstrate that driving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can indeed be profitable and with a success rate of 82.5% still in business, they show long-lasting impact in each of their communities and sectors. Read more
This report examines the yearly impact of 80 of our eco-inclusive enterprises in three of our SEED countries: Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. These locally embedded enterprises, 51% of which are women-led, demonstrate that driving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can indeed be profitable and with a success rate of 82.5% still in business, they show long-lasting impact in each of their communities and sectors. Read more
SDGs:
MSMEs: Drivers of Green and Inclusive Economies in Thailand | Policy Landscape Paper, Thailand
Published: 01 September 2020 Linde Wolters, Panramon Mahasuwan, Sonya Ong, Supapim Wannopas
As a leader in the ASEAN region, Thailand’s policy frameworks are well aligned with ASEAN initiatives, UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Agreement. Various stakeholders including those in the MSME ecosystem are working towards achieving the Thailand 4.0 industrial policy, a long-term vision to transition the country into an innovation-based economy, with a focus on technology, creativity and services. This policy landscape paper provides a brief overview of the social and environmental impact entrepreneurial ecosystem in Thailand. It serves as the background for the Practitioner Labs for Policy Prototyping hosted by SEED with UNDP Thailand as strategic partner. Read more
SDGs:
SEED Award Winner Life Out Of Plastic - L.O.O.P Featured on the World Economic Forum
Source: World Economic Forum
Through mass beach cleanups and education, L.O.O.P is showing first-hand how plastic pollution is damaging the environment while engaging companies to take action at the source. The video is featured on UpLink a digital platform to crowdsource innovations which address the world’s most pressing problems. Read more
SDGs:
UN High-Level Political Forum 2020 - Eco-Inclusive Enterprises and COVID-19
Published: 05 August 2020
As momentum builds for post-pandemic recovery, eco-inclusive enterprises around the world offer inspiring examples of inspiring solutions. Learn about their response and vision for a green recovery with Frontier Markets (India), Farmerline (Ghana), Amazóniko (Colombia), Gorilla Conservation Coffee (Uganda), Kibébé (Malawi) and EcoPlastile (Uganda). Read more
Recovering better: Global opportunities to jumpstart the real economy
Published: 31 July 2020
While the coronavirus pandemic presents enormous health and economic challenges, there are also opportunities to jumpstart economies and rebuild societies through green recovery plans that are aligned with the 2030 Agenda. This was the main takeaway of a dialogue that took place at Recovering better: Global opportunities for jumpstarting the real economy #GO4SDGs, a side event at the 2020 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF 2020). Read more
Eco-Inclusive Enterprises: Forerunners in Advancing the SDGs | SEED SDG Impact Snapshot
Published: 15 July 2020 Linde Wolters, Mirko Zürker, Net Pornlumon Nirachatsuwan
As governments respond to the wide-ranging problems resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, it’s worth thinking about how we may take this opportunity to shift towards a green economy. Because the way we recover from this crisis will impact our fight against climate change and our progress towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
A green recovery calls for investments in solutions that provide social, environmental and economic benefits to people, especially those in vulnerable and marginalised communities. SEED-supported eco-inclusive enterprises and other Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) already promote green-technologies while including low-income people in their value chain.
The SEED Impact Snapshot helps to reveal the versatility of the impact of eco-inclusive enterprises. It also helps to clarify where there is the biggest potential for their SDG contributions and how policymakers may help unlock that potential further. Read more
A green recovery calls for investments in solutions that provide social, environmental and economic benefits to people, especially those in vulnerable and marginalised communities. SEED-supported eco-inclusive enterprises and other Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) already promote green-technologies while including low-income people in their value chain.
The SEED Impact Snapshot helps to reveal the versatility of the impact of eco-inclusive enterprises. It also helps to clarify where there is the biggest potential for their SDG contributions and how policymakers may help unlock that potential further. Read more
SDGs:
SMEs for an African Green Economy
Published: 14 July 2020
On July 1st, Lewis Akenji, Executive Director of SEED, participated in a webinar that showcased the work that SEED and other organisations are currently doing to build a green, fair future for Africa. The webinar was part of the African Forum on Green Economy series of webinars that ran from April to July 2020. Read more
SDGs:
Scaling Policy and Financial Instruments for Eco-Inclusive SME Support | SEED South Africa Symposium 2020
Published: 06 July 2020 Camilla Shearman, Maggie Sloan
On 6th May, Mr Tlou Ramaru, Chief Director of Climate Change Adaptation in the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF), welcomed enterprises, financial institutions, policy-makers, donors, and business development service providers to a Pitching Session during the online SEED South Africa Symposium 2020. This Pitching Session brought together stakeholders who have been actively designing policy and financial instruments to support the start-up and scale-up of climate-smart and socially inclusive enterprises in South Africa. Read more
SDGs:
Supporting eco-inclusive enterprises in their immediate response to COVID-19 impacts
Published: 25 June 2020 Elena Eckhardt
SEED is supporting enterprise resilience in the context of COVID-19. Informed by a series of interviews with 30 SEED-supported enterprises conducted in early 2020, SEED launched a toolkit, workshop series for eco-inclusive enterprises, as well as a Training of Trainers for Business Development Services (BDS) providers across Africa and Asia to offer much-needed support. Read more
Rebooting the economy during and after COVID-19 crisis by supporting eco-inclusive enterprises
Published: 28 May 2020 Ebenezer Kumi, Jonas Restle-Steinert
In many emerging countries like Ghana, reducing the impact of COVID-19 and charting the path to a regenerative economy during and after the pandemic may not lie in big financial stimulus packages for all types of businesses in general. A targeted and tailored support for eco-inclusive SMEs that are more concerned about social and environmental issues is essential. Read more
Adapting to business-not-as-usual during COVID-19
Published: 18 May 2020 Sonya Ong
Business was looking up for Fadzai Munyuki and her team at Kudiwa Waste & Energy Solutions earlier this year. Then operations had to stop suddenly following the orders of the Zimbabwean government, who like many others, initiated a 21 day restricted movement order as a response to the corona virus. Read more
Filling the Missing Middle Financing Gap | Scoping Paper, Indonesia 2020
Published: 08 May 2020 Maggie Sloan, Net Pornlumon Nirachatsuwan
This scoping paper provides the basis for the implementation of the collaborative, multi-step process of the SEED Practitioner Labs Climate Finance in Indonesia in 2020. Indonesia’s richness in biodiversity and vibrant landscape of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) present a significant opportunity for the country to meet its development objectives while reducing its climate impacts and improving climate resilience across sectors. In particular, climate-smart SMEs – offering products and services for climate change adaptation and/or mitigation – are well positioned to absorb and scale the environmental, social and economic impacts of global climate finance flows in line with Indonesia’s climate action objectives. Read more
SDGs:
Crowdfunding Campaigns That Need Your Support During COVID-19
Published: 28 April 2020
Crowdfunding is one way businesses are staying afloat during these difficult times, to mitigate their COVID-related financial losses and hopefully bounce back stronger. Here is a list of campaigns launched by enterprises. These campaigns aim to provide financial and non-financial support to health facilities and people in vulnerable conditions. We invite you to support these if you can! Read more
SDGs:
SEED Award Finalist AET AFRICA Makes Face Visors for Frontline Workers
Bhongo Jacob Source: DispatchLive
SEED Award Finalist AET AFRICA Featured on DispatchLive as they make protective personal protective equipment (PPE) to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus in South Africa. Read more
SDGs:
Eco-Inclusive Enterprises Innovating to Fight COVID-19
Published: 17 April 2020 Khawla Rammali, Linde Wolters, Sonya Ong
A few innovative SEED-supported enterprises are coming up with resourceful ways to not only keep themselves afloat but also to solve the problems their communities are facing due to the COVID-19 crisis. Read more
SDGs:
An Inspiring Perspective on COVID-19 From Fang Thai’s CEO
Published: 15 April 2020 Supapim Wannopas
January 13 marked the first reported coronavirus case outside of China – it was reported in Thailand. A little more than 2 weeks later – on January 30, WHO declared COVID-19 a global public health emergency. This emergency doesn’t only pose a threat to individual health but, inevitably, also affects our healthy enterprises.
SEED had a chance to catch up with our 2019 SEED Awards winner from Thailand, Fang Thai Factory, on how they are doing and dealing with the epidemic. There are some key points we feel could benefit and/or inspire peers who face a similar struggle. Read more
SEED had a chance to catch up with our 2019 SEED Awards winner from Thailand, Fang Thai Factory, on how they are doing and dealing with the epidemic. There are some key points we feel could benefit and/or inspire peers who face a similar struggle. Read more
Fang Thai’s 5 Fundamental Factors to Help You Deal With Change
Published: 15 April 2020 Supapim Wannopas
Resilience is important to business, especially for those that are small in size or just starting out. Why? Because a small starter enterprise usually has built up fewer resources and network to withstand financial or other hardship for a long period of time. Yet, its strength is also in its size: its flexibility. This elasticity allows for a quick response, a shift in tactics and making changes easily. Here Jaruwan shares the five fundamental factors that allow her business to endure and adapt. Read more
Digital Innovations by Eco-Inclusive Enterprises: In the Agriculture Sector
Published: 30 March 2020 Khawla Rammali, Sonya Ong
Digital innovations can bring significant benefits to stakeholders in the agriculture sector. Take rural farmers who face challenges including a lack of access to information on markets, need advice on productivity gains, and struggle with obtaining credit and low levels of financial inclusion. Read more
SDGs:
Seed Award Winner Gorilla Conservation Wins the St Andrews Prize for the Environment 2020
Source: THE ST ANDREWS PRIZE
Celebrating its 22nd award in 2020, the Prize is an environmental initiative by the University of St Andrews in Scotland. The award recognises significant contributions to environmental issues and concerns with a focus on sustainability, conservation, biodiversity and community development. Read more
SDGs:
SEED Award Winner Fang Thai Factory Featured on International Climate Initiative (IKI)
Source: International Climate Initiative (IKI)
SEED Low Carbon Award Winner 2019 Fang Thai Factory featured as a creative solution to address the environmental issues caused by Thailand's packaging industry in terms of deforestation, carbon dioxide emissions and waste management by International Climate Initiative. Read more
SDGs:
Bottom-up Solutions to the Climate Emergency: Three Innovative, Eco-Inclusive Enterprises Take a Local Approach
Linde Wolters / Marlena Kiefl / Khawla Rammali Source: Next Billion
The threat of climate change exacerbates already existing inequalities, and increases the urgency of the need for resilient communities. But building this resilience presents a complex challenge: How can the world’s most marginalized communities effectively pursue growth, work toward the Sustainable Development Goals and overcome climate-related crises – while involving the rural households, women and youth who are most affected by climate change? Read more
SDGs:
SEED Low Carbon Award Finalist SunnyCotton Featured on 'MGR Online'
Source: MGR online
Ms. Kesinee Jirawanidchakorn has created a sanitary napkin made from fabric, which can be washed and reused again. It enables females to save money and reduce the amount of waste that pollutes the environment. Read more
SDGs:
SEED Low Carbon Award Winner Hustlenomics Featured on Sowetan Live
Karabo Ledwaba Source: Sowetan Live
Social entrepreneur Nhlanhla Ndlovu has fast become a star in the construction industry with his idea of replacing backyard shacks with decent housing. The 35-year-old founder of Hustlenomics recently won the SA leg of the Chivas Venture 2020 and will be representing the country in London and later Toronto in the international leg where $1m is up for grabs. Read more
SDGs:
