As part of the World Resources Forum 2023, SEED and the Circular Economy Catalyst, hosted by adelphi, organised a side event that put the spotlight on successful circular business models from small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
SEED contributed to two sessions on circular economy and agri-food systems during the World Investment Forum, organised by UNCTAD on the 16-20th of October in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The sessions created a platform to showcase some of the best practices and discuss possible challenges and solutions that face entrepreneurs in these fields.
- Qubix Robotics, 2023 SEED Climate Adaptation Award runner-up and a ground-breaking start-up in Malawi, is making waves by bringing together technology, environmental sustainability, social inclusivity, and education in a remarkable way. The company is committed to delivering unique and sustainable manufacturing solutions, setting itself apart as the first environmentally friendly and socially inclusive start-up in Malawi to start developing digital manufacturing machines locally.
- KLYN Consulting (KLYN) stands as a distinguished Management Consultancy and Business Advisory firm based in Lusaka, Zambia. Specialising in the delivery of tailored entrepreneurship and enterprise development support to Small and Medium Enterprises, KLYN has been a dedicated SEED implementing partner in Zambia since the initiation of SEED eco-inclusive enterprise support activities in 2019. The organisation has actively collaborated with all three SEED Accelerators and three SEED Catalysers.
SEED will be organising three side events and co-organising a 4th one at COP28 in collaboration with strategic partners to advocate for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their role in the transition to circular and low carbon economies.
- SEED has been very active at COP28, organising 3 events, co-organising a 4th one, and contributing as to the panel of 4 other events. All had a common aim: advocating for the pivotal role of SMEs as gamechangers in the transition to circular and low-carbon economies.
We have been hard at work supporting SMEs and promoting their crucial role in advancing sustainable and eco-friendly future, as well as fostering the transition to a circular economy. We are delighted to share some of our most meaningful achievements and activities, as we reflect on the passing year.
- At SEED, our commitment to fostering the transition to a circular economy is unwavering, and we firmly believe that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can be instrumental game-changers in this transformative journey. Recognising their potential to curtail carbon emissions, manage waste efficiently, and contribute to community education, we are excited to unveil a compelling series of case study videos focusing on four exemplary circular enterprises in Uganda and South Africa.
UMODZI Consulting is a leading managing consulting firm with activities that span across all sectors of the economy and include business start-up, incubation, research, project design and management, facilitation of workshops, mentorship and coaching, among others.
- SEED is now accepting applications for the Green Entrepreneurship Awards. Funded by the Government of Flanders, the Awards are part of a joint initiative to promote entrepreneurship for sustainable development
The BIMG Beacon Projects Report 2024 highlights the pioneering efforts of SEED Award Winner and Runner-up Enterprises in tackling environmental and social challenges while driving business innovation. From Zambia's forest-conserving honey production to Indonesia's mycelium-based leather substitute, these enterprises exemplify the transformative power of sustainable business models in addressing global issues.
- The SEED Malawi National Dialogue Forum 2024 brought together more than 100 entrepreneurs, policymakers, financial institutions, business development service providers and other key actors supporting entrepreneurship from Malawi, Zambia and Botswana to celebrate 10 years of SEED driving impact through eco-inclusive partnerships and innovation in Southern Africa.
The Impact Simplifier is an intuitive and transparent web-based tool that calculates, summarises and visualises the positive impact you have for the world. It also generates a brief impact report document of your business, which you can easily share with all your desired target audiences and stakeholders.
- At SEED, we celebrate and support innovative enterprises around the globe who integrate social and environmental objectives into their business models. On World Environment Day, we would like to give a shout out to enterprises who #BeatPlasticPollution everyday through their innovative products and eco-inclusive value chains.
Realising green and low-carbon economies in Uganda: How can we support, finance and replicate successful eco-inclusive business models to trigger action?
Dakeni is a small, very rural village near Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal - around 300 people live in the village. Arriving in the area, we see local women taking care of a large plant nursery. A lot of the men are working in the distant cities.
Do you recycle? – Good. But do you know what happens to your waste when it has been collected?
- Momentum has been building to replicate the success of eco-inclusive business models across countries, regions and the globe. A full programme of Replicator Workshops has kept us busy at SEED over the past few months. Since April, we have held eight SEED Replicator Connect Workshops across South Africa and two in Malawi with inspiring groups of highly motivated entrepreneurs.
- Today is International Mountain Day. Are you wondering what this is all about? We did too when we first heard of it.
There are nearly 1.1 billion people without access to energy in the world. These are in communities that have no chance of getting access to national grids and even when they do: in low-income countries in remote rural communities, it is pretty unreliable.
- At SEED, we embrace the potential of female entrepreneurs and are committed to empowering women. We not only offer equal-opportunity employment and encourage flexible working arrangements to assist families, but also take data-driven action globally to support women entrepreneurs working towards a greener economy and to accelerate female empowerment, including through our past SEED Gender Equality Award scheme.
- As we celebrate the achievements of women today, we present the female-led Unique Quality Product Enterprise as part of our launch of the SEED Case Study Series 2018. The new case study series that emanated from the SWITCH Africa Green project "Promoting Eco-Entrepreneurship in Africa", implemented by SEED, showcases how innoative eco-inclusive start-up enterprises in Africa shape sustainable development on the ground.
Coming up with new ideas is essential for the success of a business. Innovative enterprises are pro-active in solving problems, for instance, in reaching new customers or to refining their value proposition. An often unexplored opportunity for innovation is to integrate social and environmental dimensions into a company's business model.
- New York, 16 July 2018 – From a collaborative recycling WebApp enabling waste management services to users in Colombia to composters designed for urban households in India – these are few highlights of the innovative five winners of this year’s SEED Low Carbon Awards announced during the High Level Political Forum 2018 in New York.
- My exciting journey with SEED started back in February 2016. As soon as I joined the team, I knew I was in for a whole lot of surprises. Before joining SEED, I had worked at a few Korean companies and governmental affiliations as well as international organisations...
- SEED announced the SEED Low Carbon Award Winners 2018 on 16 July during a SEED side event as part of the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the UN Headquarters in NYC. The 2018 SEED Low Carbon Award Winners innovate solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation.