India is a significant player in the global e-waste landscape, contributing approximately 4.1 million tonnes of electronic waste (e-waste) in 2022, which accounts for approximately 7% of the world's total e-waste output. In 2021, one-third of India's e-waste was managed through formal and informal channels, with 80 to 90% of e-waste management operations handled by the informal sector. By 2030, India's e-waste output is expected to escalate significantly, reaching approximately 9 million tonnes (based on our estimates), which would represent about 11% of the global e-waste forecast for that year (82 million tonnes). India’s e-waste and LiB recycling sector offers multiple avenues to create value through innovative business models. The key opportunities range across advanced metal and rare earth extraction, integrated recycling, interim recycling for high-demand metals, second-life electronics and batteries. These cascade into specific opportunity areas across the value chain, which are summarized in this report.

India presents significant opportunities for new businesses to create value by leveraging agricultural, food and biomass waste. Agricultural biomass, which primarily consists of post-harvest crop residue and waste from livestock, is the largest source of waste in India – the country generates approximately 350 million tonnes annually. Agricultural and biomass waste generation is also expected to increase as food production increases, especially for staple and cash crops like rice, wheat, maize and cotton. Biomass is used in diverse applications from fodder for cattle and household cooking to the production of biogas, manure and renewable fuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel.

Biomass caters to a substantial portion of India’s rural energy demand, fulfilling approximately 80% of it. Low-cost biomass solutions play a particularly significant role in rural settings, where small-scale energy needs predominate. Conversely, more sophisticated biomass technologies are used in applications such as energy generation or fuel production, especially for large-scale operations. These opportunities relate to improved collection, waste-to-energy solutions, and diverse biomaterials.

The concept of gender-lens acceleration has taken hold in recent years, with various toolkits outlining how to be more gender inclusive at every step of the acceleration process, from selection to programming and alumni support. However, it is not well understood how effective these strategies have been in producing more equitable outcomes for women. This report aims to fill that information gap by synthesizing the research on accelerating women-led ventures, exploring case studies of two accelerator programs in Asia that have outsized impacts for such ventures, and spotlighting other programs with unique program models or perspectives.

This report is the result of a detailed study on ‘Regulatory Barriers and Levers for Deploying Foreign Catalytic Capital in Impact-Focused Enterprises, Funds & Facilities in India’ conducted by Desai & Associates (D&A) in partnership with Prime Coalition and with the support of the Lemelson Foundation. Overall, the study has the following key objectives:

1. Map the different financial pathways for aggregating US and European catalytic capital in India to support Indian social enterprises, defined as both for-profit and nonprofit enterprises with a social and/or environmental mission.
2. Assess the legal, structural, financial, and operational challenges of channeling capital via these pathways and identify potential solutions, including recommendations for possible intermediation to bring catalytic capital into India.
3. Develop a shared taxonomy for funders and recipients of catalytic capital, and create a public report useful to all stakeholders interested in bringing such capital into India. 

The Gujarat State Women’s SEWA Cooperative Federation in India is a notable initiative that has inspired similar efforts around the world. SEWA, or the Self-Employed Women's Association, has adopted a dual strategy: organizing poor women workers in the informal economy in a union and promoting women owned cooperatives to empower them. These cooperatives offer improved employment and income generation opportunities, along with a range of services such as financial, insurance and social security services, as well as business and leadership training. Recently, the ILO has received requests from its constituents to better understand SEWA’s approach for potential adaptation and replication in Asia and beyond.

This report aims to explore the challenges and opportunities for cooperatives and other SSE entities in empowering women workers in the informal economy, with a specific focus on the experience of the SEWA Cooperative Federation. It draws on in-depth interviews with cooperative leaders and members, as well as relevant reports and studies. The report examines why and how SEWA has used the cooperative model and discusses the challenges the Federation faces in incubating and supporting women’s cooperatives and collective enterprises. It also features SEWA cooperatives from various sectors, including finance, insurance, childcare, dairy, organic agriculture, healthcare, waste management and cleaning services. Finally, the report identifies lessons learned and good practices that can guide efforts to adapt and replicate similar initiatives in other parts of the world.

The study aims to explore women entrepreneurs' access to credit from SACCOs in Nepal. It focuses on women entrepreneurs engaged in diverse sectors, including trade and services, manufacturing, and agriculture. The study seeks to highlight the gender-based challenges women face when applying for business loans from financial institutions. Specifically, the study addresses the following questions in the context of women-led micro-enterprises in Nepal: 1) Do small business women have access to adequate finance from SACCOs? 2) Do women face barriers attributed to gender norms when accessing credit from financial institutions? 3) What are the supply side constraints (of SACCOs) in providing credit to small business women? Through exploring these questions, the study aims to contribute valuable insights to the ongoing discourse on gender-lens investment practices and their potential to create a more inclusive and sustainable entrepreneurial environment for small and growing businesses (SGBs) owned by women in Nepal.

This landscape guide is intended to outline India’s current context in recycling and circularity, with a focus on the investment potential, opportunities and business models in the ten most significant waste streams in India. It provides a framework for how investment potential in a waste stream can be determined, which covers five areas that define that potential: market size and growth; investable start-up pipeline; product readiness; policy support; financing needs and gaps. The guide also includes a historical outline of investments and funding in each waste stream and outlines the roles and participation of various types of equity funders, along with the potential and participation of non-dilutive funding options.

The Impact Investors Council (IIC) aims to drive private capital towards market-based models for social impact in India. This report, "Year in Retrospect: India Impact Investing Trends," provides insights into 2023's investment landscape across key sectors such as agriculture, climate tech, healthcare, education, financial inclusion, and technology for development. In 2023, equity investments in Indian impact enterprises totaled $2.90 billion, down from $6 billion in 2022, reflecting a global venture capital slowdown rather than India's potential as an impact investment destination. With over 1.4 billion people, there is vast scope for innovative solutions in underserved sectors, especially with rising digital penetration in rural areas. This report highlights the opportunities for scaling impactful solutions that address critical development challenges in India and aims to guide asset owners, managers, and policymakers in understanding and engaging with India's impact investing market.

In Extrapolations, Mumbai in 2059 is depicted as a dystopian city where climate change forces all commerce to take place at night, with people relying on oxygen stations to survive the extreme heat. This grim vision highlights the severe consequences of unchecked climate change, underscoring the importance of climate adaptation. Effective adaptation should focus on maintaining quality of life, which requires urgent investment in adaptation strategies today. The report shifts focus towards adaptation finance, challenging the idea that it is solely a public good with little role for private sector investment. While continuing to emphasize climate mitigation, the report identifies areas where adaptation investments can yield both positive impacts and financial returns. It stresses that addressing climate change is not only crucial for the planet but also presents significant business opportunities. The choices made in the next decade will be critical, requiring unprecedented capital to scale effective solutions.

The report highlights the growing importance of social procurement in achieving sustainability and social impact across various sectors. Industrial manufacturers focus on community empowerment through education, healthcare, and environmental sustainability, while conglomerates and FMCG companies support local vendors and SMEs to drive economic growth. IT companies prioritize green procurement to reduce environmental impacts, and the banking sector promotes financial inclusion through programs for marginalized groups. Pharmaceutical companies emphasize responsible sourcing and supplier diversity, and automotive companies adopt sustainable supply chain practices to mitigate environmental impacts. To accelerate social procurement, the report identifies the need for leadership-driven strategies to allocate procurement to social enterprises, capacity-building initiatives, stronger platforms for connecting social enterprises with corporate buyers, and policy incentives in India. These efforts aim to enhance the social procurement ecosystem and foster long-term social and economic benefits.