Sustainable BusinessRecent posts
How to Create Jobs in the Caribbean: From Payment Delays to Payroll Growth
Discover a pathway that speeds up payments, unlocks cash flow, and empowers Caribbean entrepreneurs to take more orders and hire.
Facing the Storm: How IDB Invest Supports Caribbean Private Sector Resilience
IDB Invest is partnering with the Green Climate Fund to help Caribbean businesses better withstand future climate shocks through blended finance and technical assistance.
Digital Innovation Expands Financing for Women-Led SMEs in Latin America and the Caribbean
Loans and disbursements approved in less than 24 hours, enabled by artificial intelligence, and early invoice payments powered by fintech solutions are transforming access to credit for MSMEs, especially those led by women.
How airports are making traveling more sustainable
By Christian Mirabella In 2015, almost 39 million people traveled through São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport. Located in Brazil’s southeast, Guarulhos is not only the largest hub in the country, but in the entire region. The amount of passengers transiting here follows an important global trend: air travel is continuing its dizzying rise. Only five years earlier, Guarulhos had recorded a mere 27 million passengers.
Why steel companies are hiring more women
If the entire private sector of Latin America and the Caribbean was one giant company, six out of ten of its employees would be men. And while you could find a somewhat larger number of women in some parts of that company such as Finance, Legal and Human Resources, other areas would almost entirely be made up of men.
Technology to access an unexplored market in Peru
Good news for companies and financial institutions interested in tapping into new markets: Peruvians who live at the base of the pyramid (BoP) spent 160 percent more on information and communications technologies (ICT) in 2013 than in 2000 –from US$20 per capita per year to US$52. Currently, four out of ten BoP heads of households use the internet. More than half of them are between 18 and 35 years old. Additionally, 95 percent of the country’s BoP heads of household own a cellphone, and predominantly the younger ones use it to access the internet.
The best of 2015: Four transportation projects leading in sustainability
Climate change and transportation have an intimate yet complex relationship. Transport accounts for one-fifth of the world’s energy use and one-quarter of energy-related CO2 emissions, making it a main cause of global warming. On the other hand, climate change can severely affect transportation systems, resulting in shorter project life spans, reduced quality of infrastructure services and increased maintenance and operating costs. These impacts on infrastructure harm the economy as a whole by causing trade and supply chain disruptions and hindering access to markets, schools and health centers.
The best of 2015: How to reduce energy costs and become more competitive
These days reducing production costs to increase competitiveness is a must. In a report titled Climate Solutions, the World Wildlife Fund notes that the world could cut energy consumption 40 percent by 2050 through improving energy efficiency and energy conservation. But when looking for alternatives that don't sacrifice the quality of raw materials, not many entrepreneurs realize that a change in energy policy could save them a considerable amount on their energy bills.
The best of 2015: Surprising habits of productive women in the private sector
In Argentina, 61 percent of mothers work outside the home. In Chile, the US and Mexico, those numbers are 59 percent, 57 percent and 42 percent, respectively. Globally, that percentage is growing. As I prepare to join these women after the birth of my second child, I know I must find ways to be more productive and disciplined in my corporate environment. To tackle this, I spent my last weeks of maternity leave seeking the advice of the most highly productive women in the private sector I know. Their surprising answers on work-life balance, professional success and doing more with less offer tools for women, men and companies more broadly.
