Stories About The Bottom Billion
Found 240 stories. Page 11 of 12.
Solar Mamas: Empowering Women to ‘Flip the Switch’ to Better Health, Renewable Energy
CLEANTECH - Law firm Hogan Lovells has partnered with Barefoot College International to empower mostly illiterate women from off-grid areas around the world by training them as solar engineers, or “Solar Mamas.”
Could Diversification, Bean-less Brews Hold Keys to Coffee Sustainability?
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - A new report says crop diversification will help Vietnamese coffee farmers reduce their CO2 footprint, but makers of a new beverage that’s the molecular equivalent of coffee posit that it could be the wave of a climate-changed future.
Wisdom Fund Aims to Close Lending Gap for Women
FINANCE & INVESTMENT - New impact investment vehicle provides funding to underserved women of color and low-income women entrepreneurs across the US.
Hilton Challenges Its Hospitality Teams to Step Up Soap Recycling
WASTE NOT - Hilton is ramping up its soap-collecting efforts around the world, with a goal of recycling 1 million bars for Clean the World to distribute on Global Handwashing Day (October 15).
Values-Based Investment Platform COIN Offers Portfolios Aligned with SDGs
FINANCE & INVESTMENT - Backed by John Hancock, COIN offers customers eight Impact Areas to invest in with as little as $50.
Living Incomes for Farmers Key to Ensuring Sustainability of Cocoa
SUPPLY CHAIN - New Fairtrade Foundation campaign calls on the UK government and companies to end ‘shameful’ exploitation of cocoa farmers by 2030, in line with the SDGs.
How VSP Global Drives Growth, Impact Through Purpose
WALKING THE TALK - The optical health company’s goal to “provide access to affordable, high-quality eye care and eyewear to the world” guides business development, branding, product innovation and other integral operations.
Classroom-in-a-Backpack Bringing Education to the Masses in Off-Grid Bangladesh
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Light of Hope had the rather ingenious idea of fitting a solar panel-powered classroom into a backpack.
SupplyShift-Ulula Partnership to Amplify Worker Voices in Supply Chains
COLLABORATION - Collaboration will allow companies to gain data-backed insight into worker treatment in their supply chains.
New Reporting Standard Aims to Drive Finance Towards SDGs
FINANCE & INVESTMENT - Now, projects seeking funding must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of a third-party assessor, that they advance the SDGs.
How Smart Tech Is Bringing Toilets to the Masses Across the Developing World
PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Did you hear the story of the little girl in India who called the police to report her dad over a toilet?
The Art of Failure: Lessons for Brands from the Bottom of the Pyramid
SUPPLY CHAIN - Let me tell you a few things about failure — a subject on which I’m something of an expert.
Soap Recycling Creating Win-Win-Win for Hotels, Women, Developing Communities
WASTE NOT - It was 2014 and social entrepreneur Samir Lakhani was working on sustainable aquaculture projects in the villages of Northern Cambodia. Watching a mother wash and bathe her new baby using laundry powder rather than soap is a vision that has stayed with him to this day. It was also the inspiration for his next business venture. “I noticed that nobody seemed in good overall health — whether it was an infection that wouldn’t go away or a child with diarrhea,” he told Sustainable Brands in a recent interview.
APP, MTG Partner to Turn 1K Women from Forest Communities into Herbal Entrepreneurs
COLLABORATION - The Indonesian Network of the United Nations Global Compact today announced a partnership between Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and Martha Tilaar Group (MTG) — a leading Indonesian manufacturer of cosmetics and herbal medicine — to train 1,000 women from forest communities to help preserve herbal plants and become self-sufficient entrepreneurs.
The Developing World Is Taking Over Renewable Energy
CLEANTECH - Last year, the leading economies in renewable energy investment growth were not to be found in North America or even Europe — the leaders in growth were countries often described as developing, such as China, Brazil, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Argentina. These big shifts in renewables investment have, in fact, been emerging since 2004, and portend a strong outlook for continued growth in global renewable energy investment and reaching carbon-reduction targets.
UNICEF, LIXIL Partner to Provide 250M People Access to Basic Sanitation by 2021
COLLABORATION - Sanitation is one of the most pressing social and public health challenges today. 1 in 3 people worldwide do not have access to a safe toilet — and 892 million people have no choice but to defecate in the open. Every two minutes, a child dies from a preventable diarrhea-related disease — approximately 288,000 children each year. The issue also contributes to the number of girls who drop out of school, since they are especially affected by a lack of hygiene and sanitation during their period.
Can Transparency Alone Transform the Fashion Industry?
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE - Transparency has become a bit of a buzzword in the fashion industry and judging by the number of times it was mentioned at this year’s Copenhagen Fashion Summit, it is a trend that we are not going to shake anytime soon. Quite the contrary, transparency is reshaping how brands and retailers interact with their suppliers and consumers. But can it really transform the entire fashion industry? C&A Foundation’s Leslie Johnston hosted a panel of experts to find out.
The Hundred People Behind Your Favorite Pair of Jeans
SUPPLY CHAIN - Have you ever stopped to think about how many people were involved in making the clothes you buy? Chances are you have heard about or read The Travels of a T-shirt in a Global Economy or listened to Planet Money’s piece on making a t-shirt. Both are incredibly interesting examinations of the effects of global trade on the fashion industry, developing countries and garment workers.
Creating a #FashionRevolution: How to Campaign for Change
MARKETING AND COMMS - Proposing a new idea and convincing others of its validity is no easy task. Even more so when you’re dealing with complex issues such as supply chain transparency, or trying to shift the ‘take, make and waste’ model of the fashion industry to one of circularity.
A Win for Cocoa Farmers and Forests: Ghana Grants First-Time Ownership of Timber Trees
SUPPLY CHAIN - For the first time ever in Ghana, cocoa farmers have obtained official ownership of non-cocoa trees on their farms. Some 150 farmers in the country’s western region will now be able to include shade trees as part of their business plans, providing additional sources of income in the form of timber while reducing deforestation and the effects of climate change.
