Over 1.5 billion people lack access to electricity and Barefoot Power is on a mission, to bring affordable renewable energy and efficient lighting to 5 million people by 2013 and 10 million people by 2015 and help eradicate energy poverty.  How will they do that?  By bringing electricity to millions of people that currently use kerosene lighting and walk far for phone and battery charging, they plan on reversing the traditional process of rural electrification while reducing the global carbon footprint.

Barefoot Power is funded through a diverse group of investors and the European Union. Learn more about their products, distribution models and financing opportunities at www.barefootpower.com.

Worldwide, mobile phone subscriptions have reached 5.9 billion, with 79 percent penetration in developing countries. Mobile phones are no longer used only to stay connected. Mobile phones allow low-income people to gain access to health information, agricultural data, banking services, employment and educational opportunities.

Register today to hear sector leaders speak about their experiences in tailoring mobile technologies to the specific needs of low-income people in developing countries.

The GSMA’s Mobile Money for the Unbanked Programme, an initiative of one of the world’s leading industry associations providing mobile technology at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP), will discuss innovative products and partnerships aimed at addressing financial inclusion at the BoP using mobile technology. Ericsson, one of the leading telecommunications companies, and MicroEnsure, an insurance intermediary serving the BoP, will present their experiences in developing innovative business models using mobile technology.

Join the Business Call to Action, Business Fights Poverty and Business Action for Africa for a discussion on the up-to-date impacts and transformational potential of mobile technology.

Featured Speakers:
Seema Desai, Director and Claire Penicaud, Coordinator: Mobile Money for the Unbanked Programme (MMU), GSMA Development Fund
Karin Svingby, Director Projects & Partnerships, Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, Ericsson
Richard Leftley, President and Chief Executive Officer, MicroEnsure

Discussion moderated by Susan Chaffin, Programme Manager of the Business Call to Action.

TO JOIN THE WEBINAR, GO TO: http://mobiletechwebinar.eventbrite.com/

Register today to hear sector leaders speak about their experiences in tailoring mobile technologies to the specific needs of low-income people in developing countries.

The GSMA’s Mobile Money for the Unbanked Programme, an initiative of one of the world’s leading industry associations providing mobile technology at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP), will discuss innovative products and partnerships aimed at addressing financial inclusion at the BoP using mobile technology. Ericsson, one of the leading telecommunications companies, and MicroEnsure, an insurance intermediary serving the BoP, will present their experiences in developing innovative business models using mobile technology with the potential to reach scale and the types of partnerships necessary to access target consumers.

Join the Business Call to Action, Business Fights Poverty and Business Action for Africa for a discussion on the up-to-date impacts and transformational potential of mobile technology.

Featured Speakers:
Seema Desai, Director and Claire Penicaud, Coordinator: Mobile Money for the Unbanked Programme (MMU), GSMA Development Fund
Karin Svingby, Director Projects & Partnerships, Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility, Ericsson 
Richard Leftley, President and Chief Executive Officer, MicroEnsure

Discussion moderated by Susan Chaffin, Programme Manager of the Business Call to Action.

The BCtA is a global initiative that encourages private sector efforts to fight poverty. It is supported by several international organizations including the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

In Mexico, ¡Échale! a tu casa, an affordable housing provider, has committed to making US$25 million in low-cost financing available over the next five years to enable 25,000 low-income families to build their own “eco-friendly” homes, which include wood-saving stoves or bio-digesters for energy needs and rain harvesting water purification systems.

“One of the key barriers to home ownership for low-income people is access to finance. By making finance available to poor families, we are helping communities to purchase a kit that allows them to build their own eco-friendly home,” said Francesco Piazzesi, ¡Échale! a tu casa founder and CEO

Nearly nine million families in Mexico have inadequate housing, and two thirds of them face difficulty obtaining loans to purchase homes. As a result, millions resort to building unsafe and unsecure housing structures. ¡Échale! a tu casa‘s self-built kits are up to five times less expensive than buying already built homes.

Grupo Orsa—one of Brazil’s largest pulp, paper and packaging companies will provide job opportunities to low-income people in the Amazon through environmentally sustainable practices. Ouro Verde Amazonia, a subsidiary of Grupo Orsa, will train 3,000 low-income farmers on sustainable growing and harvesting practices to help boost production and improve the quality of Brazil nuts that reach global markets through its organic and certified products.

By promoting better Brazil nut production and eliminating intermediaries, farmers will be able to quadruple their earnings. Furthermore, improved agricultural practices will help to ensure sustainability of the Amazon forest.

“The challenge is to reorder a traditional Amazon supply chain through consolidation in a more sustainable and harmonious way; thereby sharing the benefits from producing one of the healthiest foods in nature, the Brazil nut,” said Luis Fernando Laranja, Partner and CEO, Ouro Verde Amazonia

“These two inclusive business initiatives show the importance of private companies in building a more sustainable future; one where attention to people, planets and profit is both, possible and worthy,” said Susan Chaffin, BCtA Programme Manager. “As we approach the Rio+20 UN Sustainable Development Conference being held in Brazil in June, these leading examples serve to establish a best practice for other companies to follow.”

*****

For more information:

BCtA: Carina Kjelstad, carina.kjelstad@undpaffiliates.org, +212-906-5194

Grupo Orsa: Rosa Fonseca or Felipe Zaghetto, Department of Corporate Communications and Press Relations, cgo@grupoorsa.com.br, +55 11 4689-8731/8783

¡Échale! a tu casa: mailto:informes@echale.com.mx; Carla Hernandez. Social Franchise Director, carla@echale.com.mx, +52 55 55 63 52 00

****

Business Call to Action (BCtA) is a global initiative that seeks to challenge companies to develop inclusive business models that offer the potential for development impact along with commercial success. The initiative is the result of a partnership between the Australian Agency for International Development, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the UK Department for International Development, the US Agency for International Development,  UNDP, the UN Global Compact, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the International Business Leaders Forum to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Companies report on progress toward commitments on an annual basis.

About ¡Échale! a tu casa: ¡Échale! a tu casa (put your heart into your home) helps families to build homes through a social impact franchise that supports sustainable community development. The program aims to restructure community social networks to address inefficiencies inherent in the process of building one’s own home through organization and social Inclusion; financial education and social financial trust; training and technology appropriation and program replication through social impact franchise http://www.echale.com.mx/

About Grupo Orsa is a major Brazilian company in the timber, wood pulp, paper and packaging industry, with additional operations in non-wood products. Grupo Orsa, with 100 percent Brazilian capital, has become a world benchmark in sustainable management of native tropical forests through its operations in the Amazon region of Vale do Jari, located between the Brazilian states of Pará and Amapá. http://www.grupoorsa.com.br/

Tata Consultancy Services: Providing Advisory Services to Indian Farmers

Tata Consultancy Services joined the BCtA with a commitment  to expand its platform offering personalized agricultural advisory services to farmers in India. In this Business Call to Action case study, learn more about how the company is reaching farmers with its mKrishi service..

Download Case Study: English

Missed the Webinar?

Watch the webinar presentations:

Full presentation

Access individual presentations:

Fabian Llinares | Luis Fernando Laranja Francesco Piazzesi

Access the PowerPoint presentations:

Fabian Llinares | Luis Fernando Laranja Francesco Piazzesi

Missed the webinar? Download the videos, PowerPoints, and other materials from the event here.

March 28, 2012 – Companies operate in an ever changing environment in developing economies. Swift and suitable adjustments to the evolving landscape enable these businesses to create a competitive advantage; thereby enhancing opportunities for market leadership.

On March 15, the Business Call to Action, Business Fights Poverty and New Ventures brought together Fabian Llinares, Director of Operations with New Ventures Mexico; Luis Fernando Laranja, Partner and CEO at Ouro Verde Amazonia; and Francesco Piazzesi, Founder and CEO at ¡Échale! a tu casa for a webinar discussion about adaptive business strategies for growth. Watch the presentation.

Fabian Llinares opened the webinar by providing an overview of the work of New Ventures which has supported 346 environmentally-focused companies to date. The support includes mentoring company management and showcasing positive results to investors. According to Mr. Llinares, what is most important today is for companies to have sustainable business models that address the three pillars of the triple bottom line: profit, people and planet. In his view, the recipe for a successful sustainable business includes four elements.

“First of all, it is important to understand your value proposition and your business model, and then you can find opportunities for business model innovation; redefine your growth strategy accordingly and include key partners to leverage the model”.

Watch Mr. Llinares’ presentation. Access his PowerPoint.

Luis Fernando Laranja is the founder of Ouro Verde Amazonia, a Brazil nut and acai berry processor, and one of the companies that New Ventures has mentored in Brazil. In 2009, Grupo Orsa became the main shareholder, which has allowed Ouro Verde Amazonia to scale up significantly. Since Grupo Orsa has come on board, revenues have increased ten-fold from US$ 230,000 in 2008 to US$ 2.3 million in 2010.

Why did these companies come together? According to Dr. Laranja, there are three reasons why Grupo Orsa invested in Ouro Verde Amazonia. For one, it is good from an economic point of view. Secondly and very importantly, it is about stakeholder involvement. The third reason relates to philosophy; Grupo Orsa is owned by two shareholders who believe it is important to help people.

“Considering that Grupo Orsa has 1.3 million hectares of private land in the Amazon where 15,000 people are living, it is important to have good relationships with the surrounding communities. Since the Brazil nut industry is very important for the native communities living in Grupo Orsa’s region, by investing in Ouro Verde Amazonia, there was a good side effect on the main business of Grupo Orsa.”

The collaboration has not been without challenges. The two companies have very different cultures and needed to understand how to work together.  Dr. Laranja emphasized that adaptive behavior has been the answer. Watch Dr. Laranja’s presentation. Access the PowerPoint.

Francesco Piazzesi is the CEO and Founder of one of the companies New Ventures helped transition from an NGO to a social business in Mexico. The main problem with access to housing is not necessarily construction but financing. ¡Échale! a tu casa is therefore working with the communities to provide a sustainable solution for people to build a home.

As an NGO, the impact was small and Dr. Piazzesi realized that in order to grow the NGO had to transition to a for-profit company. “It has to be a win-win for the company, the industry, and for society. That is the most important part. New Ventures took us by the hand and guided us through this change.”

And it has paid off; ¡Échale! a tu casa has provided homes to more than 26,000 families and facilitated more than 150,000 home improvements. Watch Dr. Piazzesi’s presentation. Access the PowerPoint.

¡Échale! a tu casa aims to help low-income families in Mexico with the opportunity to own a safe, affordable, environmentally friendly home through an innovative finance lending program and do-it-yourself home building kits. The company has joined the Business Call to Action with its commitment to provide US$25 million in microfinance lending to help 25,000 families purchase home self-build kits by 2017. Each kit includes all of the instructions and the materials necessary to build a five-bedroom home at approximately half the market price of ready-built homes.

Since 2007, ¡Échale! has helped 50,000 families build or make significant improvements to their homes.

Through Ouro Verde, Grupo Orsa seeks to promote a more efficient Brazil nut value chain in the Amazon by providing training to 3,000 small farmers and indigenous people on environmentally sustainable Brazil nut growing and harvesting practices. The firm will also develop storage facilities in villages to ensure local communities receive a premium price for high quality Brazil Nuts. By investing in these communities, Grupo Orsa hopes to improve exports of Brazil nuts and Brazil nut products.

The results of the commitment will include the creation of 600 new jobs, increased income for 2,000 indigenous families, and a quadrupling in the annual sales of Brazil nuts.

Missed the Webinar?

Watch the webinar presentations:

Full presentation

Access individual presentations:

Fabian Llinares | Luis Fernando Laranja Francesco Piazzesi

Access the PowerPoint presentations:

Fabian Llinares | Luis Fernando Laranja Francesco Piazzesi

Two success factors that differentiate leading companies from the rest are the ability to employ foresight in strategic planning and skillful reaction to unexpected shifts in the environment. A company’s swift and suitable adjustment to the changing business landscape demonstrates competitive advantage. Innovative actions taken by market leaders reveal creative approaches to doing business based on unique market insights.

Register today to learn how Grupo Orsa and ¡Échale! a tu casa, two visionary Latin American business leaders, perceive the current economic environment and are positioning their firms. These two companies have implemented business models which enable them to thrive despite challenging business conditions.

Learn how Grupo Orsa, one of Brazil’s largest timber and paper companies, is branching out beyond its core business to nut processing with the purchase of Ouro Verde Amazonia. By the same token, ¡Échale! a tu casa, a low-income housing provider in Mexico, will share insights about its transition from a non-profit social enterprise to a for-profit company with plans to reach scale rapidly.

Join the Business Call to Action, Business Fights Poverty and New Ventures for a lively discussion with Ouro Verde Amazonia and ¡Échale! a tu casa. New Ventures Mexico will provide an overview of adaptive business strategies in low-income markets.

Featured Speakers:

Fabian Llinares, Director of Operations, New Ventures Mexico
Luis Fernando Laranja, Partner and CEO, Ouro Verde Amazonia
Francesco Piazzesi, Founder and CEO, ¡Échale! a tu casa

Discussion moderated by Susan Chaffin, Programme Manager of the Business Call to Action.

TO JOIN THE WEBINAR, GO TO: http://survivalwebinar.eventbrite.com/