Sustainable BusinessRecent posts
Latin America and the Caribbean at the forefront of energy and technological progress
The region is rich in essential minerals and has the potential to develop its value chains. Countries must overcome several challenges to take advantage of these resources and their benefits. This requires transparency, governance, and attracting private investment.
We Helped a Solar Plant Hire More Women. Will the Industry Follow Suit?
The Lucayas Solar Power Project in the Bahamas marked a milestone by pioneering the integration of women in the construction of solar photovoltaic plants. What we learned in the process can help other companies’ commitment to gender equity.
Overcoming Three Challenges to Unlock the Potential of Green Hydrogen
Several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have an adequate renewable energy generation capacity, abundant water resources and other favorable conditions to diversify the power generation matrices and decarbonize energy-intensive industrial segments. Breaking down legal, regulatory, financial, technical and market barriers can help them lead the charge on clean energy initiatives.
What is the World Cup's Carbon Footprint?
When Arjen Robben scored Holland’s fifth goal against Spain, the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil, was overflowing with emotion. The Dutch ecstatic, the Spanish devastated, and neutral fans like myself thrilled just to see such an exciting game. After watching the Netherlands team take a well-deserved victory lap, we poured out of the stadium into Salvador’s streets, singing until our throats were hoarse.
Something New in BOP Housing
By Christy Stickney, author of Many Paths to a Home: Emerging Business Models for Latin America and the Caribbean’s Base of the Pyramid; and Lina Salazar Ortegón, Opportunities for the Majority at the IDB I’m intrigued by FOMEPADE, a rising star in Mexico’s financial scene. Conceived by microfinance veteran Juan José Gutiérrez Chapa (a founding partner of Banco Compartamos) to provide quality housing to underserved markets, FOMEPADE launched in 2012 a housing loan program that incorporates housing providers into a unique value chain for the families at the base of the pyramid (BOP). FOMEPADE’s promising ventures in affordable housing for the BOP offer evidence that new players and business models are emerging, forging inroads into BOP housing markets in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
And the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Winner is... Sustainable Business
Seguir a @BIDSecPriv The FIFA 2014 World Cup Brazil has begun, and with it comes a lot of controversy regarding investments and their societal trade-offs - especially given almost 22% of the Brazilian population still live at the base of the pyramid, on less than US$2.50 a day. Nonetheless, this year, the FIFA Brazil World Cup is thought to be a milestone in terms of sustainable business practices. Below we explore 3 initiatives that can allow small companies to generate new businesses and thrive in the long term.
Defining Expectations: An interview with Jamaica’s Maureen Hayden-Cater on women and leadership
A Caribbean bank leader highlights her experience promoting gender equality both inside and out Maureen Hayden-Cater, President of Jamaica’s First Global Bank, visited the IDB Group to participate in our speaker series “Promoting Women Leaders in the Private Sector.” The initiative is part of the IDB Group Private Sector’s goal to showcase women leaders in the region and strengthen diversity and gender equality. Before her keynote speech, which will be followed by a question and answer session with IDB Group staff, I reached out to First Global’s President to learn more about what women and leadership mean to her.
How to lose weight, feed 9 billion people and save the planet?
Sustainable consumption as business opportunity Eat less meat! The BBQ fans out there don’t have to go cold turkey. The point is eating more vegetables, buying local, nutritious food whenever possible and minimizing waste by purchasing food with less packaging and in reasonable portion sizes can benefit your waistline and the environment. Conscious consumer choices and scarce natural resources incentivize agribusinesses in Latin America to produce more with less. From Brazilian cattle ranchers investing in pasture upgrades instead of deforesting to Nestlé reducing water usage in its Mexican value chain, the food industry has discovered healthy, sustainable consumption as a business opportunity.
Five ways leadership mitigates climate change and promotes sustainability
The Final Game Changer All the renewable energy and energy efficient technology alone cannot ensure a sustainable energy future. The missing element to long-term sustainability in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is leadership. Effective, visionary leadership can mitigate climate change. As the final game changer, leadership is examined through the lens of five kinds of leaders:
