SGB are uniquely positioned to be climate solutions providers. Scaling the ecosystems that support green entrepreneurs is critical to advancing the SDGs, in particular, SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable & Clean Energy), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
SGB’s must be involved in mitigation, adaption, and resilience-building efforts, and they need support.
“Green entrepreneurs” are developing, deploying, and expanding localized solutions to global climate crises, yet only 2% of incubators and accelerators focus on climate challenges worldwide.
About ANDE's work in Climate and Environmental Action
The ANDE Climate and Environmental Action Initiative was launched in 2020 to address the myriad of challenges that prevent green entrepreneurs within the broader SGB sector. From optimizing their contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation and shepherding sustainable and resilient development, SGBs are well-placed to scale environmental solutions and cultivate more resilient economies.
Through research, convening, training, and advocacy, this initiative seeks to close critical gaps in financing and capacity building services tailored to the unique needs of green entrepreneurs and draw attention and funding towards climate action champions across entrepreneurship ecosystems. Recognizing the unequal burden of climate impacts, the initiative will also advance ecosystem support for women and minority groups. Finally, the initiative endeavors to establish a shared understanding of what successful climate action looks like and how to measure it within the SGB sector.
ANDE, along with the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) and World University Service of Canada (WUSC), and support from Global Affairs Canada (GAC), aim to build the gender-lens investing ecosystem for growth-oriented women entrepreneurs to start and grow climate-related businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa through this project. AWCE will contribute to poverty reduction by identifying and promoting good practices to support women entrepreneurs in climate-related value chains and developing a road map for international development stakeholders to provide further gender-responsive support to women climate entrepreneurs and intermediaries.
ANDE and the IKEA Foundation partnered to help ensure a smooth transition to a greener, more inclusive economy, in which green entrepreneurs can thrive and create good jobs. Through this partnership, ANDE conducted research on the green enterprise economy and brought together donors, investors, enterprise support organizations, policymakers, and entrepreneurs to identify and support solutions that help green enterprises in India and Kenya to grow
Climate change and environmental degradation place significant stress on India’s biodiversity, food supply, water and energy security, and human health. The private sector will play a critical role in achieving these objectives, particularly growth-oriented entrepreneurship that can bring new ideas into practice, introduce technical innovations, and create demand for new environmentally friendly goods and services. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), green entrepreneurs address climate change and/or create a positive environmental value either through the process of delivering products/services (e.g., utilizing clean technologies) or by working in a green sector (e.g., waste management). Such
entrepreneurs tackle climate change from multiple angles.
This report establishes a baseline understanding of the state of green entrepreneurship in India by assessing existing business models, the available financial and technical support for entrepreneurs, and key sectoral issues regarding the policy landscape and market opportunity. The purpose of the study is to inform decision-makers, such as policymakers, donors, investors, and business development service providers, of the primary trends, opportunities, and challenges in the green entrepreneurial ecosystem in India.
This report establishes a baseline understanding of the state of green entrepreneurship in Kenya by assessing existing business models, the available financial and technical support for entrepreneurs, and key sectoral issues regarding the policy landscape and market opportunity. The purpose of the study is to inform decision-makers, such as policymakers, donors, investors, and business development service providers, of the primary trends, opportunities, and challenges in the green entrepreneurial ecosystem in Kenya.
The damaging effects of climate change in India are all-encompassing, threatening agriculture and food supplies, energy security, water security, and public health. To ameliorate climate and environmental challenges, India has committed to a green economic transition through various government policies and initiatives. India has the the world’s third largest entrepreneurial ecosystem after the United States and China, and an increasing number of sustainability-oriented startups, investors, incubators, and accelerators in India is shaping a vibrant green ecosystem. This report examines the ecosystem of support for green entrepreneurs in India. Using data collected via surveys and desk research, this snapshot report uncovers important challenges and opportunities for green entrepreneurship to inform stakeholders of how to better support the development of India’s green economy.
Climate change and environmental degradation pose a significant threat to Kenya’s economy. To combat these challenges, Kenya has supported a green economic transition through various government policies and initiatives. Green entrepreneurs play an important role in helping the country reach these climate and environmental targets by meeting consumer needs in a sustainable manner. This report examines the ecosystem of support for green entrepreneurs in Kenya. Using data collected via surveys and desk research, this snapshot report uncovers important challenges and opportunities for green entrepreneurship to inform stakeholders of how to better support the development of Kenya’s green economy.
The SME Climate Hub 2023 Survey is a comprehensive report based on a survey of 2,800 SMEs from around the world conducted in late 2022. The report delves into the current state of climate action and sustainable business practices in SMEs. According to the survey findings, SMEs are becoming increasingly concerned about climate change and are taking steps to reduce their environmental impact. However, many SMEs continue to face significant challenges in implementing sustainable practices, such as a lack of access to finance and technical expertise. The report also emphasizes the importance of governments and financial institutions in assisting SMEs in making the transition to more sustainable business practices. Overall, the SME Climate Hub 2023 Survey offers useful insights into the challenges and opportunities that SMEs face as they navigate the transition to a more sustainable future.
"In this document, the Platform on Sustainable Finance proposes a structure for a social taxonomy within the present EU legislative environment on sustainable finance and sustainable governance. This environment currently consists of:
(i) the existing legislation and proposed initiatives on the EU taxonomy; (ii) the proposed corporate sustainability reporting directive (CSRD); (iii) the Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation; and (iv) the sustainable corporate-governance (SCG) initiative. Although all these pieces of legislation influence this report, the focus of this work was above all on the present structure of the environmental taxonomy, a point which was even more stressed when public feedback highlighted that market participants expected a common structure for social and environment"
"Endeavor Insight partnered with HSBC to examine the challenges that climate tech founders face as they scale their companies, and the opportunities for investors and supporters to help them succeed. This study demonstrates how global connectivity can further drive innovation and highlights what decision makers can do to better support female-led and minority-led companies."
"Women entrepreneurs are critical to a thriving and inclusive economy, and yet they face numerous challenges in growing their businesses. These challenges are compounded for women climate entrepreneurs (WCEs), given limited research that assesses the issues or presents actionable recommendations to the wider ecosystem. This knowledge product identifies challenges and opportunities for WCEs with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa - specifcally, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa and Malawi."
"The Climate Capital Network’s (CCN) first annual India Climate Finance Report explores the direction of climate finance in India, uncovers funding opportunities and gaps, and showcases organisations that are using innovative approaches. This report consolidates survey findings, interviews, and articles from leading climate finance organisations allocating in India. The universe of funders in India has grown significantly to encompass everyone from the Climate Committed (core mandate and/ or deploying in these sectors for a number of years) to the Climate Crossover (newly part of the mandate and starting to actively deploy/ refine thesis) to the Climate Curious (will opportunistically deploy, but no specific mandate at this point). We reached out to funders who are actively and strategically looking at climate right now. The focus of this report is on the data as a way to provide context and background, but equally importantly on the insights and areas of emergence."
"India has been slow to get its act together on climate change and it was only in 2021, at the COP26 summit in Glasgow, that we agreed to pursue a goal of net zero emissions as a country. Private investment is crucial to meeting India’s climate goals and while progress was made this year, this is much more to be done. This report, The State of Climate Finance in India 2022, is our second annual stock-taking of India and its climate action priorities. We review the progress in climate action from an Indian perspective, and focus on what it means for the world of climate finance. We invite readers of this report to draw from the insights and the findings of this report to advance their climate action aims, and also invite you all to reach out to us to connect and engage in mainstream climate finance in India and the region."
Climate change and gender inequality are among the world’s most pressing and complex development challenges. Women are catalysts for innovative solutions to tackle climate change. However, their underrepresentation in decision-making processes and labour markets means that women are prevented from fully contributing to climate-related planning, policy-making and implementation. Recently, WUSC joined partners in celebrating the development of a new roadmap for climate finance and marked the culmination of a unique project at the intersection of climate finance and gender implemented by a consortium of partners including ANDE and AKFC and generously funded by Global Affairs Canada. The purpose of the Roadmap is to present recommendations to donors on how to facilitate women climate entrepreneurs’ access to appropriate climate finance, contributing to greater equality and inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa while advancing innovative and transformative women-led climate solutions.
"A significant proportion of the world’s businesses are small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Globally, micro-enterprises (SMEs with fewer than ten employees) alone account for 70% to 90% of all firms. As such, SMEs play an important role in reducing global emissions and bringing innovative climate solutions to the market. It is crucial that they are equipped with the tools and resources needed to measure their emissions, set greenhouse gas reduction targets grounded in science, take bold actions, report on their progress and ultimately reduce their emissions. This framework provides guidelines for SMEs on doing exactly that. It is open for anyone to use and can be used directly by SMEs to guide their reporting of climate impacts and strategies to multiple stakeholders. It can also be used by SME support organizations (such as consultancies) and data collectors to guide SMEs in climate disclosure."
This Learning Brief offers a clear justification for the role of development assistance organizations like USAID in catalyzing private finance for climate action. It synthesizes lessons learned from a broad set of donor experiences and offers
practical ‘how to’ descriptions of donor-supported activities that lead to additionality and positive climate and human impacts.This is one of three complementary resources that includes a set of case studies that examine various models of blended finance for climate action and a guidance note that provides a framework for understanding the potential for additionality and human impacts for blended finance from USAID’s perspective.
To understand the network’s current level of support for climate entrepreneurship, ANDE identified which of its members work in climate adaptation, mitigation, and resilience and mapped where and how this support is being provided. Data were collected between March and August 2021 through a survey of ANDE’s member organizations as well as supplementary desk research. While the analysis in this snapshot is static, the information is meant to serve as a catalyst for greater climate action in the SGB sector.
With support from The Lemelson Foundation, ANDE conducted interviews with 13 representatives from a select group of funders and impact investors to identify barriers to and opportunities for funding climate entrepreneurship. While not an exhaustive list of funders, these representatives provided practical insight on how climate entrepreneurship is seen among funders focused primarily on climate action and/or entrepreneurship and how greater funding could be allocated to the intersection.
"Entrepreneurs in developing economies are vital to addressing climate change and promoting sustainable and resilient development. Developing countries will experience some of the worst climate impacts. and they also hold enormous potential for encouraging mitigation and adaptation on local and regional levels. Yet, entrepreneurs in developing economies face distinct challenges and barriers when it comes to addressing climate change. This report is intended to serve as an overview of the current literature on the intersection of entrepreneurs and climate action, as well as a call to action."
"Emissions reporting is the first, and arguably one of the most important steps you can take to reduce your company’s footprint. This will help you identify where you need to take action to reduce your emissions. Once you know what the problem is and where the most intense
areas of emissions are, you can create a strategy to cut your greenhouse gas emissions and potentially save money for your business."
"Os empreendedores nas economias em desenvolvimento são vitais para enfrentar as mudanças climáticas e promover o desenvolvimento sustentável e resiliente. Os países em desenvolvimento sofrerão alguns dos piores impactos climáticos. E também têm um enorme potencial para encorajar a mitigação e adaptação nos níveis local e regional. No entanto, os empreendedores nas economias em desenvolvimento enfrentam desafios e barreiras distintos quando se trata de abordar as mudanças climáticas. Este relatório pretende servir como uma visão geral da literatura atual sobre a interseção entre empreendedores e ação climática, bem como um chamado à ação."
With support from the IKEA Foundation, ANDE released new research on the market potential for green entrepreneurship in Kenya and India. These reports use new data to assess the state of green entrepreneurship in each country, available financial and technical support for SGBs, and key challenges and opportunities facing stakeholders. The reports also offer detailed looks at eleven key green sectors, including common business models and estimation of market potential between 2022 - 2030.
According to groundbreaking research in India and Kenya, catalyzing green entrepreneurship in small and medium-sized businesses represents a trillion-dollar opportunity in those countries.
“It was a turning point for me,” said Ruchi Jain, Founder and CEO of Taru Naturals, about her trip to the villages of small-scale farmers in India struggling with the effects of climate change. “I realized that if you want to make a big impact on the world, you have to be grassroots based—it has to be a movement.” Since then, Jain has grown Taru Naturals into a fair-trade network connecting over 10,000 tribal and small-scale organic farmers across India to the resources and training they need to grow climate-resilient crops and markets to sell their products.
Our ANDE members are true heroes. They are saving the world one step at a time through taking climate action.
#SGBClimateChampions is a global ANDE campaign that aims to share the stories and experiences of our members across ANDE’s network from all eight chapters. These will highlight successful climate business models and share knowledge on how SGBs and ESOs can incorporate climate lenses into their work.
The SGB sector has an important role to play in taking positive climate and environmental action. Broadly, SGBs can advance SGBs 6, 7, and 13 through three categories of action:
- Supporting and scaling “cleantech” and conservation-focused SGBs that help mitigate climate change and environmental degradation.
- Supporting and scaling SGBs that help communities adapt to climate change.
- Helping SGBs and SGB intermediaries increase the environmental sustainability of their own operations.
