Supporting Cocoa Smallholders to Combat Climate Change
Climate change poses a multitude of risks to business. From the effects on agricultural commodity production, to the cost of rising fuel taxes, to human health threats caused by extreme weather events. As a result, businesses are increasingly building a climate change agenda into their own risk management strategies. But how can a company such […]
Living Well within Planetary Boundaries
By far the biggest boundary we have to transcend today is our compulsion to keep on transcending boundaries! Over the last 40 years, I’ve collected any number of definitions of sustainable development. One of my favourites is this: ‘To live on Planet Earth as if we were planning to live there forever.’ Right now, we’re […]
Corporate Impact Venturing at the BOP
The base of the global economic pyramid (BoP) comprises 4 billion people and represents a $5 trillion USD market opportunity. Both corporates and entrepreneurs recognize this large and growing opportunity. Both struggle to realize it. Corporate Impact Venturing allows them to complement each other’s weaknesses and reinforce their strengths. Together, they can reach the scale […]
Goodbye Cotton, Hello Hemp?
Cotton. You love it, I love it, but Mother Nature freakin’ hates it. About 20 million tons of cotton are produced each and every year, making it far and away the world’s most profitable non-food crop. But it’s resource intensive in a big way. It takes about 20,000 liters of water to produce just one […]
What Happened at COP21: 10 Things Your Business Can Do
In December, world leaders agreed to tackle climate change – what should your business do next? At a top level the signal is clear. The world is taking climate change seriously and every business needs to be part of the solution. In December 195 countries were present at the Conference of the Parties in Paris. […]
Top 10 Blogs of 2015
It’s been another busy year on Business Fights Poverty with between one and two stories published every weekday on our homepage. Thank you to all our members and Content Partners who shared their insights with the community. With the New Year imminent, we thought we’d once again take a look at the most popular articles […]
Understanding and Tracking Social Impacts of Business
2015 was a year of progress. We have a long way to go to understand, track and strengthen the social impact of business. But we are beginning to ask the right questions and shape better tools. In case you missed them, these are my top highlights of 2015 for building the impact measurement space for […]
More than Just Microfinance
This is Arlene Montejo, a small-scale farmer from the beautiful yet isolated mountain village of Sudlon II on the outskirts of Cebu City in the Philippines. Arlene, like millions of poor people around the world, relies solely on farming to generate an income and support her family. She grows a variety of vegetables including lettuces, […]
The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Poverty here in Vietnam is hidden away. Tourists flock to the urban centres, to the fancy sights of Ha Long Bay, or up to the remote north to buy handbags sewn together by hill-tribe communities. The injustice of poverty here is not obvious on the surface and, as a visitor, you’d be forgiven for not […]
Tackling Gender Inequality in Pakistan
Following a trip to Pakistan, Dr Ajaz Ahmed Khan tells us about a very interesting project implemented by our MFI partner AKHUWAT. Transgender people, or khwaja siras as they are often referred to in Pakistan, routinely face a high level of discrimination in access to health, housing, education and employment as well as ridicule, intimidation […]
Mining for Social Value in Botswana
Societies across the world are increasingly demanding more value from their natural resources. Philippe Mellier, chief executive officer of the De Beers group of companies, says they are right to do so. The discovery of diamonds in Botswana at Orapa by De Beers geologists in 1967, shortly after the country gained independence, has led to […]
PPPs: The Business Case
Why should corporations partner with international development organizations? There are many other ways to develop a strong and ethical corporate image: Ways that do not involve the complex and sometimes messy business of working with a completely different type of organization than your own. And we’ve all heard the term ‘only partner if you have […]
Pay As You Go Solar Distribution
Today, more than 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are living without access to electricity, most of them in rural areas. This is due largely to the high cost of expanding grid infrastructure to poor and remote locations. Access to sustainable off-grid energy in Africa has drawn an enormous amount of attention from donors, activists […]
How Science Can Inform Business Climate Commitments
Big business can make a big difference to tackle climate change in agriculture, but needs a strong scientific base to guide and monitor investments, says Sonja Vermeulen When the world’s biggest agribusinesses, with collective revenues of over $800 billion, come together to announce their intentions to reduce food emissions by almost a third in the […]
How Do We Get Businesses Working Towards the SDGs
“Let us put aside what divides us and overcome narrow self-interest in favor of working together for the common well-being of humanity.” With those inspiring words, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon kicked off last week’s Addis Ababa conference on Financing for Development. It was the first of a series of major events that could make […]
What Businesses Need to Know About the SDGs
The UN General Assembly held its regular meeting in New York this fall. But this year its purpose was different – and with significant implications for the future of the human condition. More than 190 member countries committed to “eliminate poverty in all its forms everywhere” by 2030, together with 16 other “big, hairy, audacious […]
3 Ways to Make Your Supply Chain More Climate Resilient
Your business sells products that depend on agricultural commodities. You have built a great brand, you have a loyal and expanding customer base and great relationships with your providers. But is your supply chain really sustainable? Can climate change affect your business? Most of the debate and focus in Europe and the US has been […]
Climate Action Opportunities: An Industry Lens
By Serena Brown, KPMG International As the great and the good met in Paris to reach an historic international climate change agreement, we saw a flurry of announcements from businesses. These included collective calls to action, individual and collective commitments, and a multitude of new multi-stakeholder collaborations to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and […]
Global Goals Could Trigger a Burst of Innovation
Leaders from 193 nations are converging on New York for the U.N. General Assembly. They are expected to adopt the sustainable development goals, which are not short on ambition. Beginning with a goal to “end poverty in all its forms everywhere,” they cover gender equality, food security, peace, health, clean water and sanitation, sustainable cities, […]
Responsible Taxation is Key to Financing SDGs
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been estimated to require an additional $2.5 trillion a year of financing in developing countries. Matti Kohonen, PhD, describes how responsible tax behaviour by businesses, supported by investors, forms a critical part of ensuring that taxes are fairly paid and accountably used to fight poverty. The UN’s Sustainable Development […]