Haiti: Leading in the Production of Quality Apparel
Three high-level business leaders just did what others might think is too risky and counterintuitive. Joey Adler, the CEO of Diesel Canada and founder of the OnexOne Foundation; Richard Coles, the owner of Multiwear, one of Haiti’s leading apparel manufacturers; and Rob Broggi, a former hedge fund executive, created a company to demonstrate that Haiti […]
Deliver Nutrition Through Agricultural Platforms
Executive Director, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition A roadmap for aligning investment in the agricultural and nutrition sectors in Tanzania has been launched to help businesses prioritize engagement in nutrition. The roadmap, which was developed at the request of the Tanzanian Government and co-developed by GAIN and the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) […]
Announcing the Business Fights Poverty Design Expo 2014
A creative revolution is underway around the design of products and services that transform the lives of poor people. But perhaps the most exciting activity is around combining design innovation with business model innovation, so that social impact can be achieved on a massive scale. With 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty, it is […]
Banking on Africa: Social and Economic Impact
All eyes are on Africa. Over the past decade, the continent has consistently grown faster than the world as a whole. And unlike previous resource-driven booms, this time Africa’s success is built on foundations that should be sustainable for the long term. A new and confident African middle class is emerging, and trade is expanding […]
How Haiti is Becoming a Leader in the Production of Quality Apparel
Three high-level business leaders just did what others might think is too risky and counterintuitive. Joey Adler, the CEO of Diesel Canada and founder of the OnexOne Foundation; Richard Coles, the owner of Multiwear, one of Haiti’s leading apparel manufacturers; and Rob Broggi, a former hedge fund executive, created a company to demonstrate that Haiti […]
Creating a Sustainable Brand
We’ve come a long way down this sustainability journey. We’ve moved from making ourselves feel good through our actions to finding ways to benefit society and help the business bottom line. No longer do we just pay farmers a better price help them increase yields but we get the return through a steady supply of […]
Mobile Driving Voice, Participation, Active Citizenship
Coca-Cola Gets Everywhere. Medicines Don’t. Why?
I am hugely exciting about a new partnership between ColaLife and International Development Enterprises which aims to answer this question. Together we are investigating the best ways to take ColaLife’s award winning anti-diarrhoea kit – Kit Yamoyo, the ‘Kit of Life’ – to scale across Zambia and potentially across the world. We have set an […]
MNCs and Social Enterprises: Learning from Each Other?
As investors in businesses that are impacting lives, we at Acumen see the potential for business to make a difference, but we also know that taking this impact to scale will require creative new partnerships. At a Summit in Nairobi last May, we and our partner Dow Chemical launched the Technical Assistance (TA) Initiative – […]
Everything You Wanted to Know About Inclusive Business
The eLab provides an introduction to managers who are tasked and set to create business with low-income communities. It is designed in a way that fits every managers schedule, while providing the most important insights every IB manager should be aware of. Let’s review these two propositions! Insights The eLab consists of 6 modules. Each […]
Solving the World’s Water Issues
Christine Bader’s The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist: When Girl Meets Oil
An illuminating read, Christine Bader’s new book, The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist: When Girl Meets Oil is particularly valuable to anyone who has wondered what it would be like to promote sustainability or respect for human rights from within a multinational corporation. By recounting her own experiences and weaving in stories from other Corporate […]
World Gold Council – Combatting Malaria
In a film, Gold for Health: Ghana Spotlight, released today, the World Gold Council is highlighting the role gold, and the gold mining industry, can play in the prevention of diseases such as malaria. The World Gold Council is the market development organisation for the gold industry, and our members are 21 of the world’s […]
Launching the 2014 Inclusive Business eLab
Successful inclusive businesses create real value for people living in poverty and companies. Think of BASF: the chemical company produces vitamin A and other micronutrients – ingredients urgently needed to eradicate malnutrition and enable healthier, fitter lives for billions of people.* But company and customers are only two parties in a dense ecosystem of players […]
Economic and Social Prosperity Must Go Hand in Hand
1 Billion + 3 Reasons to Think about 2030
There is a lot to think about when you are in a room filled with social media pioneers, global thinkers, and experts from one of the world’s most populous countries: India. Everything you think about, in fact, starts with the reminder that 1 billion people are counting on the answers to how we tackle the […]
Innovation: Africa’s Great Leap Forward
In terms of innovation, Africa’s outlook is more positive than ever and the continent is leapfrogging its global counterparts in various sectors. The amplification of GDP growth in some parts of the continent (such as Nigeria) and the overall stability of African economies during the worrying economic downturn of recent years speak volumes for Africans’ […]
Business and Social Good Contest
You’ve probably noticed business isn’t just about profits anymore. Instead, we demand an impact framework from the businesses we love and support. This has created a global movement where business & social good are intertwined – hand-in-hand, walking together. The greatest achievements in the social good space are achieved when business ideas are utilized and […]
The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist
An illuminating read, Christine Bader’s new book, The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist: When Girl Meets Oil is particularly valuable to anyone who has wondered what it would be like to promote sustainability or respect for human rights from within a multinational corporation. By recounting her own experiences and weaving in stories from other Corporate […]
Are Intrapreneurs the New Rock-Stars?
The past few years has seen the emergence of the ‘cult of the entrepreneur’ with growing visibility of entrepreneurs in the media; ‘celebrity’ entrepreneurs such as Sir Richard Branson and stars from shows such as Dragon’s Den in the UK (Shark Tank in the US) are receiving recognition which, in the past, may have been […]