Empowering Poor Populations: How Business Can Transform Poverty Relief
Freedom is Not Trusted When It Comes to the Poor Population, Let’s Change That with Business There has been a consensus that capitalism and the free market are not designed to overcome poverty. We need to overcome this belief. We celebrate the capitalist economic framework for its ability to improve the lives of the majority who […]
Connecting Mexican Farmers and Buyers Through Regenerative Practices
From Small Farms to Formal Markets: Connecting Mexican Farmers and Buyers Through Regenerative Practices Agriculture is a lifeline for over 8 million farmers in Mexico, with smallholders representing a significant portion of the farming landscape in the country. Small farms account for 57% of crop farms, 78% of cattle farms, 89% of pig farms, and […]
Profit with Purpose: How Women-Inclusive Business Practices Drive SME Success
Can inclusive investments advance growth within the localized private sector? Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are powerful drivers of economic growth: they account for 90 percent of businesses, more than 50 percent of employment, and create two out of three jobs globally. This presents a significant untapped opportunity to advance gender equality in low- and […]
Unlocking the Potential of Young Entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa
A Call for Innovative Financing Solutions Youth entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa represents an extraordinary opportunity to drive economic independence, societal transformation, and sustainable development. Yet, millions of young entrepreneurs remain constrained by a rigid financial landscape. These young minds, particularly women and other underserved groups, operate predominantly in the informal sector, with no access to […]
The Fairtrade Foundation: 30 Years of Transformative Change
“It’s more revolutionary what you put on your plate than what you post on the internet.” Those are the words of Silvia Herrera, a second-generation coffee farmer from Chiapas, southern Mexico, who I met earlier this month. Silvia is right. We should never underestimate the power we have as consumers. Power to change an unfair […]
Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter: The “Invisible Market Segment”
There is a common mantra in business that companies can “do well, by doing good.” And while that may be true; too often, “doing good” is more difficult than meets the eye and many businesses opt out, even if “doing good” could bolster bottom lines. But what if there was a way to make “doing […]
Small Business, Big Impact: The Transformative Power of Women Entrepreneurs
In the corner by one of the many potted plants, three Vietnamese women sit around bowls of steaming noodles and dumplings, engrossed in discussion. Despite the noise and chaos of the traffic outside, it’s peaceful in this small and cozy vegetarian restaurant tucked away in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Sounds of conversation and laughter grow as […]
How Can Businesses Build Partnerships that are Fit for the Future?
Click here to take the 5-minute survey Businesses Partnerships for the Future With the world in the midst of overlapping social and environmental challenges and pushback in some countries against the engagement of businesses in addressing them, there has never been a more important time to build a new consensus on the role of business […]
An Open Letter to Global Leaders: Now is the Time to Address Youth Global Mental Health
Across the globe, the toll of poor mental health among our youth is staggering. It’s a leading cause of death, disease, and disability, particularly among older adolescents. Yet, despite its pervasive impact, mental health remains chronically underfunded and stigmatized. The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with other global challenges, such as humanitarian emergencies, the climate and ecological […]
Enhancing Women’s Empowerment Strategies: The Investor’s View
What is the main impediment to enhancing women’s empowerment strategies? Men. Sharing power is never easy. For business, the incentive to enhance women’s empowerment is made even weaker by the specter of short-term impacts to the bottom line. For example, achieving gender pay parity, improving childcare and parental leave policies, or setting a living wage […]
World Refugee Day: Engaging Corporate Partners to Support Refugees
This significant day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 to honor refugees worldwide. It marks an opportunity to celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home countries to escape conflict or persecution. World Refugee Day not only raises awareness about the global refugee crisis […]
The Complexities of Using Business to Combat Poverty: A Ground-Level Perspective
Part II – The reality on the ground – Some of the complexities in utilising business to fight poverty in Developing Countries In my last article I outlined some of my conceptual questions around the current status and success levels of businesses targeting the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) and the social business/impact investing space […]
20 Years of Business at the Base of the Pyramid: Lessons Learned and Future Directions
Part I: What have we learned so far on doing business at the Base of the Pyramid? It’s been 20 years since the concept of the Bottom/Base of the Pyramid (BoP) was first popularized by C.K Prahalad. Since then, the field has come a long way, almost all the top business schools offer BoP classes […]
Unintended Consequences of Environmentally Friendly Diets
As the world grapples with the urgent need to protect human health, combat climate change, and protect biodiversity, the foods we eat have come under scrutiny. Unhealthy diets are a major contributor to the global burden of disease. And food systems are a major contributor to climate change and environmental destruction. Deficiencies in essential vitamins […]
How SMEs Can Gain a Competitive Edge by Embracing UN SDGs
SMEs and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Smaller companies can uncover competitive advantages by embracing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In 2015, the UK Government joined every other country worldwide and committed to transforming our world with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Goals define global priorities […]
Fields of Change: Making Cotton Work Better for Women
Whether it is used to make classic blue jeans and a tight white T-shirt, or a high thread-count bedsheet and reusable nappies, cotton comes with a production story. This story starts not in a factory, but in cotton fields and their surrounding communities. At present, it is one in which there are still very few […]
Financial Empowerment for Young Entrepreneurs: A Strategic Imperative
Entrepreneurship can be a transformative option for young people to gain economic independence, shape economies and drive businesses for good. Young entrepreneurs are critical to future economic development and key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. But while young entrepreneurs rarely lack ambition, they often lack resources. Insufficient access to finance remains a consistent barrier […]
Prioritising Digital Wage Payments for Women is Good Business for Businesses
When was the last time you received your wage in cash? Have you ever received a pile of bills and coins, taken public transportation, and wondered where in your house to hide them to keep them safe? There is a chance you have never experienced this. But in many countries, this is an everyday reality. […]
Unlocking Economic Growth: How the Private Sector Can Empower Forcibly Displaced Communities
Poverty is rampant among these populations. There is a need for jobs. A key way to create jobs is to expand private sectors in communities that host the forcibly displaced. And a key way to do that is to unleash entrepreneurship – and to connect entrepreneurs with global and regional companies as customers and partners. […]
How Sustainable Agriculture Contributes to Achieving Zero Hunger
The second of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – SDG2: Zero Hunger – aims to create a world free of hunger by 2030. However, according to the UN, a combination of factors including the pandemic, conflict, climate change, and deepening inequalities, mean that hunger and food insecurity have been rising since 2015, and the world is […]