From small social entrepreneurships to large national and multinational companies, from urban neighborhoods to remote communities, from the farmyard to the schoolhouse, an increasing number of companies have rallied around the Business Call to Action (BCtA) by committing to inclusive business models designed to support the new sustainable development agenda and drive growth.
At its sixth annual forum today, BCtA announced commitments by 33 companies in support of the new sustainable development goals (SDGs). This is the largest number of new members in a single year and represents a significant increase in the scope of commitments by companies to use viable businesses ventures that include those at the base of the economic pyramid as suppliers, distributors, retailers or customers. Since it was launched in 2008, the new total number of businesses that have joined BCtA’s leadership platform, is 137.
“Inclusive businesses are both proven and increasing. We have seen rapid growth and improved living standards in developing countries creating demand for goods and services by people living at the base of the economic pyramid, whose collective purchasing power exceeds $5tn. Rarely has there been a better opportunity for companies to use inclusive business models to initiate or deepen their investments in developing economies and contribute to the implementation of the post-2015 agenda through co-financing and transformation of business practices towards sustainability,” said Marcos Neto, director, UNDP’s Istanbul International Center for Private Sector Development.
“UNDP is proud to host the secretariat for the Business Call to Action Alliance because it encourages companies to commit to innovative business solutions which are good for both their bottom line and for development”, he continued.
New BCtA member companies have made commitments to 10 of the 17 new SDGs. These include commitments to SDG 2 to help 5.4 million farmers experience better agricultural yields; SDG 3, to ensure health and promote well-being for 100.5 million people; SDG 5 to achieve ender equity and empowerment for 3.2 million women through increased productivity and revenue generating activities; and SDG 8, by creating 100,000 full time jobs. The new members, 68% of which are small to medium-sized and social enterprises, are working in 37 locations in 19 countries (including not previously part of BCtA’s network) with 57% in Africa, 30% in Asia and 14% in Latin America. Six are led by women.
“The advantages of inclusive business are tangible, spurring the increase in the number of companies engaging in these innovative models and joining BCtA. For businesses, our newest members’ initiatives are helping to drive product innovation (Banka BioLoo, Basic Water Needs), open new markets (AccuHealth, Bata), strengthen supply chains (Lal Teer, Equator Kenya,) uncover new sources of profitability (CrediFamilia, Ignitia), and enhance long-term competiveness (Novo Nordisk, Access Afya),” said Sahba Sobhani, officer in charge, Business Call to Action and global programme advisor, private sector, BPPS. “As a result, people at the base of the economic pyramid are enjoying the benefits of higher productivity, sustainable earnings and greater empowerment. Engaging in inclusive business offers the potential to unleash the economic power of the private sector to realise the SDGs.”
BCtA’s sixth annual forum showcased the potential for and evidence of inclusive businesses aligning their core business activities with the SDGs and featured leaders from BCtA member companies, as well as senior representatives from governments, bilateral donors, civil society and the United Nations.
New Business Call to Action Members 2015
AACE Foods: combating malnutrition in Nigeria while engaging smallholder farmers in value chains.
Access Afya: bringing affordable health care to low-income families in Kenya.
AccuHealth: expanding tele-monitoring of chronic non-communicable disease in Latin America.
aWhere: providing agricultural intelligence to smallholder farmers for better decision making.
Banka BioLoo: improving health and dignity in India through sustainable and affordable sanitation solutions.
Basic Water Needs: expanding access to safe drinking water for communities at the base of the economic pyramid in Malawi.
Bata Shoe Company: empowering women in Bangladesh, Latin America and Africa through the Rural Sales Program.
BIDCO Africa: building the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs along the value chain.
Centurion Systems: building technical capacity and increasing the employability of low-income youth in Kenya.
Contigo: providing financial services to bottom-of-the-pyramid customers in Mexico.
Credifamilia: increasing access to mortgage financing for low-income customers in Colombia.
DDD Kenya: enabling Kenyan youth to bring their families out of poverty through employment, skills and education.
Equator Kenya: increasing smallholder farmers’ productivity in Kenya through technology.
GE Healthcare: delivering sustainable, affordable healthcare through education, training and low-cost technologies.
Ignitia: providing reliable weather forecasting for informed decision making by farmers in the tropics.
Ilumexico: expanding solar energy solutions in off-grid rural communities in Mexico.
Lal Teer Seed: enhancing the sustainability of Bangladesh’s agricultural sector.
Lotus Foods: cultivating markets for sustainably produced rice in Asia and Africa.
Medtronic Surgical Technologies, Inc.: preventing hearing loss and empowering women in India through the Shruti Program.
Mozambikes: improving living standards in Mozambique through access to transportation.
Nairobi Techpharm: Pharmnet: a network of trusted pharmacies in Kenya.
Novo Nordisk: facilitating access to diabetes care for bottom-of-the-pyramid communities in Kenya.
ONergy: providing rural communities with access to clean energy in India.
Pamoja Cleantech: providing off-grid productive power from sustainable biomass for rural Ugandans.
Pronaca: strengthening the supply of domestically sourced corn in Ecuador.
Sanofi: providing diabetes care for low-income people in Colombia.
salaUno: providing accessible eye care for the bottom-of-the-pyramid communities in Mexico.
Sevamob: increasing access to primary healthcare in India via mobile clinics and a tele-health marketplace.
Shiseido: empowering women and improving hygiene in rural Bangladesh.
Shubham Housing Development Finance Company: building communities through access to home financing in India.
Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Holdings, Inc.: enhancing the resilience of small-scale farmers across Southeast Asia.
Tolaro Global: building the cashew nut value chain with smallholder farmers in Benin.
Vava Coffee: expanding access to credit and financial training for smallholder coffee farmers in Kenya.
For further information, please contact jeanne.finestone@undp.org, visit www.businesscalltoaction.org or check Twitter at @BCtAInitiative
Content on this page is paid for and provided by Business Call to Action, sponsor of the role of business in development hub
