Water and Energy – Interlinked and Interdependent
The theme of this year’s World Water Day is ‘Water & Energy’, highlighting the fact that the two resources are closely interlinked and interdependent. Energy generation and transmission requires utilization of water resources, whilst about 8% of global energy generation is used for pumping, treating and transporting water to various consumers. A third element that […]
Scaling Up Safe Water Provision
Three years ago, we were celebrating the launch of LifeStraw Carbon for Water – a ground breaking project developed by global health company Vestergaard, which invested US$30million to distribute gravity-fed water filters throughout the entire Western Province of Kenya. ClimateCare developed carbon finance that made the project possible and which provides a return on the […]
Moving Beyond Corporate Social Responsibility
In 2009, in the middle of the economic crisis, Danone CEO Franck Riboud made the following statement: “It is a common sense observation that no living organism can grow and develop in a deprived environment or a desert. It is in a company’s best interests to take good care of its economic and social environment, […]
Fairtrade: Celebrating the First 20 years. What’s Next?
The Fairtrade Foundation launched its first products – coffee, chocolate and tea – 20 years ago. As one of the Oxfam types who sat around in the late 80s debating whether UK supermarkets would ever stock ‘alternative trade’ products, this is a moment to savour. We’ve come a long way. Sales in 2013 were £1.78 […]
Creating What’s Next for ICTs and Development
In less than a decade’s time, the majority of the world’s poor now own or regularly have access to a mobile phone. As a result, the internet and communications technology (ICTs) industry offers the newest and most relevant platform to reach the poor with essential services such as information, social networking, education, healthcare, employment opportunities, […]
Looking for Local Solutions that Make a Difference
By Anais Mangin, Project Manager adelphi The emergence of the green economy and social and environmental entrepreneurship is now viewed more broadly as a road to economic development. By integrating social and environmental benefits in their business model, entrepreneurs at the grassroots can provide promising solutions to local sustainable development issues, including environmental protection, sustainable […]
Will Ending Poverty Require Endless Economic Growth?
What is Progress? If you ask this question of most Americans, they’ll probably say something that implies continuing growth in material wealth — more stuff for more people, in other words. The overwhelming majority of professional economists would agree: progress means ever-higher economic output, which in turn means increasing use of natural resources and ever-bigger […]
Creating Shared Value Transparently
I have spoken in the past about the importance – and challenges – of being more transparent and sharing progress in meeting our societal commitments at Nestlé. For this reason, I am proud to share our 2013 Creating Shared Value report, published this week. In this year’s report we have taken another step forward in […]
Let the Lifecycle Be Your Guide
As a company that’s been helping to pioneer on sustainability for most of our 160-year history, we’re excited to have the opportunity to share some of our learnings through the Sustainable Apparel Series in partnership with Triple Pundit and other brands. Throughout this series we hope to share lessons, provide actionable insights, and examples of […]
Growing Sweet Prosperity in Peru
TechnoServe’s Simon Winter visits Peru and discovers a burgeoning cocoa industry. On a recent trip to Peru, it was a mouthwatering pleasure to see how the formerly coca-cultivating San Martin region is now home to an emerging cocoa and chocolate industry. At TechnoServe, our mission is to work with enterprising people in the developing world […]
Investing in Tanzania Agribusiness
Hugh Scott, Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund Director, explains the latest funding opportunity for businesses to apply if they have an innovative project for Tanzania I am excited to announce that the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) is ready to fund for-profit businesses that have innovative, agribusiness related projects for Tanzania that will benefit the rural […]
Behind the Brands: What Progress One Year On?
In February 2013 we launched an ambitious campaign using the power of consumers and investors to hold the world’s biggest food and drinks companies to account for what happens in their supply chains. One year on, private sector adviser Erinch Sahan reveals how the policies of the Big 10 have changed. It’s a year since […]
Innovations to Protect Farmers from Climate Risks
Farmers in India are accustomed to a certain amount of weather extremes. Much of Indian agriculture is oriented around monsoon seasons that regularly feature torrential rains. But reports from the World Bank and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warn that, as climate change begins to alter weather patterns, growing conditions in the […]
AECF Tanzania Agribusiness Window Accepting Applications for Funding Between US$ 100,000 and $1,000,000.
Hugh Scott, Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund Director, explains the latest funding opportunity for businesses to apply if they have an innovative project for Tanzania I am excited to announce that the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) is ready to fund for-profit businesses that have innovative, agribusiness related projects for Tanzania that will benefit the rural […]
The Impact of Mobile on the Development Sector
‘Africa is not just a mobile-first continent, it is mobile only’ – CNN[1] While commercial business has taken the lead in optimising the opportunity mobile presents in Africa, the development sector is catching up. Now, every aid and development organisation is being forced to think actively about how mobile relates to its core business. Africans […]
Why Does Healthcare Need ‘Intrapreneurs’?
When most of us think about entrepreneurs, a certain image springs to mind. It is of an individual pursuing their big idea outside of the confines of a large business; of an intrepid individual heading into the ‘Dragon’s Den’ or making their fortune in Silicon Valley. But, that kind of disruptive innovation is not limited […]
Why Cheap Bananas Threaten Farmers Futures
To mark Fairtrade Fortnight and the Make Bananas Fair campaign. Michael Gidney, CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation, explains why we need to make sure all bananas are sourced fairly and ethically in the UK. I have just come back from visiting banana producers in Colombia. Along the humid tropical coast bananas seem to be everywhere […]
Economic Inclusion – Accelerating Impact Collectively
Social Entrepreneurs with proven models for including low-income populations convene to refine their impact scaling strategies and collectively overcome ecosystem barriers. Great business ideas go global to serve customers around the world. Great social innovations, however, too often remain local or national because market forces do not work as efficiently in low-income markets. Although many […]
Collaboration to Maximise Impact on Poverty Reduction
At a recent meeting in Paris, a German government representative took us through their approach to blending public money with private investment and development finance institutions (DFIs). Germany recently spent €40,000 of official development assistance (ODA) to leverage €300,000 of private sector funding to scale-up water and sanitation programmes. The investment reached 9.5 million people, […]
DFID’s Increased Focus on Economic Development
DFID’s shift towards a stronger focus on economic development is a top priority for the UK Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening. Last month, she delivered a speech at the London Stock Exchange where she gives the rationale for ramping up our work in this area. A new strategic framework – “Economic development […]