Launch of the SAG-SEED Starter Months in Mauritius
Published: 22 February 2016
Want to become an eco-entrepreneur? Apply now for the SAG-SEED Starter, the three challenges are: Sustainable Agriculture, Manufacturing and Tourism Read more
SDGs:
Launch of the SAG-SEED Starter Months in South Africa
Published: 09 February 2016
The Switch Africa Green-SEED Starter Months invite entries from teams who develop green and inclusive business solutions to one of the key social and environmental challenges in South Africa. Read more
SDGs:
Changing the paradigm of childcare and income generation in Nairobi’s slums
Published: 04 February 2016 Marion Müller vom Berge
Every child in the world has the right to access high-quality early childhood care and education, and every woman deserves the opportunity to participate in the workforce and generate income, free of concern that their child may not be cared for properly. Read more
SDGs:
Replicating Eco-Inclusive Business Models: A Contribution to Sustainable Low-Carbon Economies
Published: 01 February 2016 Akash Uba, Dr. Christina Tewes-Gradl, Mariska van Gaalen, Tendai Pasipanodya
In the face of climate change, we urgently need to find pathways to a low-carbon economy. Only then can we improve the well-being of nine billion people by 2030 and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Developing countries have to leap-frog to a low-carbon economy while continuing to improve well-being. Innovative eco-inclusive enterprises are already implementing low-carbon solutions while also providing social and economic benefits to those who need them most. This study shows how the replication of eco-inclusive entrepreneurial solutions tackles the double challenge of mitigating climate change and improving well-being, therefore arguing that they should be strategically incorporated in global and national plans for achieving a low-carbon economy. Read more
SDGs:
Call for Applications for the 2016 SEED Awards
Jona Liebl Source: UN Environment
Start-up enterprises that solve pressing local issues by integrating social and environmental benefits into their business models can apply for the 2016 SEED Awards, which opened for nominations today. Read more
SDGs:
SEED Awards 2016 - Apply by 31 March 2016!
Published: 26 January 2016
SEED has opened the Call for Applications for the 2016 Switch Africa Green-SEED Awards, SEED Africa Awards and SEED Gender Equality Awards. Read more
Financing for the ‘Missing Middle’ in South Africa
Published: 12 January 2016 Jana Rudnik, Mirko Zürker
Financing! 20k-200k USD is needed for the ‘missing middle’ is one of ten critical aspects that SEED emphasises as crucial for the growth of SMMEs. Read more
SDGs:
Tools, Tools, Tools – the SEED Training of Trainers (TOT) in South Africa created a sound support base for green, inclusive SMEs
Published: 18 December 2015 Jana Rudnik, Magdalena Kloibhofer
As part of its extensive programme that has been built around an annual awards scheme promoting social and environmental entrepreneurship in developing countries, SEED developed a unique toolkit that addresses these key issues and lays out guidelines how to strategically integrate the imperatives of sustainability into businesses. Read more
SDGs:
SEED discussed Green Climate Fund and SMEs at COP21 in Paris
Published: 14 December 2015
SEED hosted a working dinner about "The Green Climate Fund and SMEs: How to ensure public climate funding reaches the Bottom of the Pyramid" Read more
SDGs:
The role of finance in addressing climate change—but where is the conversation around SME’s?
Published: 07 December 2015 Allison Robertshaw
It would be an understatement to say that finance is one of the big issues being discussed at COP21. I’ve managed to pop into a number of side events on the topic and it comes up in even the most casual of conversations. Read more
SDGs:
Investment, Research, Innovation... and SMEs?
Published: 03 December 2015 Allison Robertshaw
Is it not time that we start to build green technology development capacity in developing countries? Read more
SDGs:
The climate negotiations in Paris - What does it mean for the green SME community?
Published: 25 November 2015 Allison Robertshaw
In just five days, politicians, policy makers, NGOs, businesses, entrepreneurs and activists will head to Paris, for the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP), to see whether the world can hammer together an agreement to move the world away from catastrophic climate change before time runs out. Will they be successful? Read more
SDGs:
Has our obsession with scale blinded us as to the real way to have impact?
Published: 18 November 2015 Allison Robertshaw
When I was in Nairobi a few weeks ago, our team at SEED brought together more than 500 people at our 2015 SEED Africa Symposium to discuss the latest developments in social and environmental entrepreneurship. Read more
SDGs:
SEED Africa Symposium 2015
Published: 09 November 2015
More than 500 entrepreneurs, researchers, policy makers and representatives of the civil society from 30 countries joined the SEED Africa Symposium on September 9-10th, 2015, in Nairobi, Kenya. Read more
Cutting down trees for survival: How women can provide an alternative source of energy
Published: 06 November 2015 Anais Mangin
"Then the refugees came and started to cut down trees and soon there was no forest left, (..) The locals also chopped trees and made charcoal to sell to the refugees." (UNHCR, 1996) Read more
SDGs:
BanaPads, a SEED Story from Uganda
Published: 04 November 2015
BanaPads Social Enterprise produces comfortable sanitary pads from natural agricultural waste materials. They are low-cost, 100% biodegradable, safe and hygienic, and made locally, following international standards. The objective of this enterprise is to reduce absenteeism of schoolgirls in rural and poor communities while creating a women’s entrepreneur network through which the pads are distributed and sustainable independent micro-businesses are established. Read more
SDGs:
Turning coffee into a profitable business for smallholders: Critical Success Factors for 2009 SEED Winner Kolcafé
Published: 27 October 2015 Jamie Kyles
Coffee has been the backbone of the agriculture-based economy of Tanzania for the last 100 years providing employment for an estimated 2 million people directly or indirectly, according to the Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TaCRI). However, low productivity is making it difficult for farmers to retain their livelihoods. Read more
SDGs:
Shaping Sustainable Development Policies to Scale the Impacts of Eco-entrepreneurship
Published: 20 October 2015 Amélie Heuër
A few weeks ago I was in Nairobi where we (SEED) held our annual SEED Africa Symposium. The event was the biggest one yet, with over 500 representatives from government agencies, the private sector, civil society organisations and academic institutions from 34 countries; all gathering to build bridges for impact. Read more
SDGs:
SEED Africa Symposium 2015: Building Bridges for Impact
Published: 19 October 2015
Building Bridges for Impact was the goal of the 2015 Africa Symposium. More than 500 entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, practitioners and policy makers examined emerging trends in the green and entrepreneurship space and looked into ways of constructing new bridges to amplify the impact of social and eco-enterprises. Special attention was also given to the role of eco-entrepreneurship in the Post-2015 agenda. Read more
SDGs:
Boosting support for social and environmental entrepreneurship in Namibia
Published: 15 October 2015 Julia Rohe-Frydrych
Small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) contribute an estimated 12 per cent towards Namibia’s gross domestic product and employ about 20 per cent of the country’s workforce. Read more
SDGs:
SEED Winners attend PDCI Event in Jakarta, Indonesia
Published: 14 October 2015
Three SEED Winners from Uganda joined the discussions at the “1st Practitioners’ Dialogue on Climate Investments in cooperation with the 3rd Sustainable Business Dialogue” on 7-9 October 2015 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Read more
SDGs:
Setting the Stage for Green & Inclusive Growth through Entrepreneurship
Published: 02 October 2015 Carolin Ehrensperger, Jana Rudnik
"Where many conventional start-up enterprises fail after only two years, more than three out of four SEED Winners have not, that is the major outcome of this flagship report“, Ibrahim Thiaw, UNEP Deputy Executive Director and UN Assistant-Secretary-General. Read more
SDGs:
Celebrating 10 Years of SEED Awards (2005-2015)
Published: 22 September 2015
Ten years ago, at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in New York, 5 enterprises received the first SEED Awards. They were chosen, from a pool of over 260 entries from 66 countries, for their potential to advance sustainable development in their communities and contribute to the UN's Millennium Development Goals. Read more
SEED Special Recognition Award goes to Tambul Leaf Plates
Published: 10 September 2015
Chosen in an online vote with more than 5,500 participants 2013 SEED Low Carbon Winner Tambul Leaf Plates from India was chosen as the winner of the SEED Special Recognition Award. Read more
SDGs:
Plates from Fallen Leaves, Bricks from Plastic Waste and Sight Saving Mobile Apps – Green Innovation Highlighted at 2015 SEED Awards
Published: 09 September 2015
27 eco-inclusive enterprises are recognized at the 2015 SEED Africa Symposium. Read more
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