BCtA

Join BCtA Application Process

BCtA Application Process

BCtA membership does not cost money. Eligible companies are encouraged to submit an online application form here. The BCtA Secretariat assesses both the company’s overall environmental, social, governance (ESG) and industry performance as well as the quality of its inclusive business commitment as it relates to the potential for commercial success, impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and benefits for the base of the economic pyramid (BOP) populations. All applicants are informed about the assessment results and final decision on the membership.

BCtA application process

Eligibility Assessment

BCtA application process

Sign up

BCtA application process

Draft the Application

BCtA application process

Review and Submit to BCtA Team

Join BCtA: Membership Instruction

There is no fee for BCtA membership.
The only requirement is that members provide an annual update on the progress of their inclusive business initiative.

Testimonial View

Join the growing number of businesses that are working to end poverty by redefining what it means to do good business.

The breadth of media attention to our mission that we received through BCtA has been extremely valuable! Moreover, the indicators that we set while joining BCtA have helped us to more clearly dictate our social goals.

Lauren Thomas

Lauren Thomas

Mozambikes

We were happily surprised by the practical and business-minded approach of the BCtA team. They understand that many companies want to create and measure their impact, but do not always have much time and capacity to invest in this, especially small start-ups like our company. Their simple, but effective tools and the wonderful support of the team has helped us as a company to link our results and impact to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Maria Besteman

Maria Besteman

Basic Water Needs

AACE Foods is happy to be a member of BCtA. This has helped broaden our horizon and opened limitless opportunities to a network of member companies who share our passion and dream. We hope to access partnerships that will help grow our bottom of the pyramid market and also continue to improve the livelihood of our farmers.

Temitope Jebutu

Temitope Jebutu

AACE Foods

When Banka BioLoo became member of the BCtA in late 2015, it was broadcast to the world, providing further visibility to our enterprise and its innovative sanitation solution. It helped to connect us with decision-makers and policy-framers, such as the World Bank whose team contacted us and invited to partner for their WaSH projects in India. Banka BioLoo has been propelled to the global league of inclusive businesses and we now represent the private sector on the Steering Committee of Sanitation and Water for All.

Sanjay Banka

Sanjay Banka

Banka Bioloo

This is about exploring and developing innovative business models that are economically viable and good for development.

Indra Nooyi

Indra Nooyi

CEO,

PepsiCo

By developing our business in a sustainable way, we create value for our shareholders and economic advantage for the communities within which we work.

Paul Walsh

Paul Walsh

CEO,

Diageo

We are striving to make a lasting contribution to the communities associated with our operations, and we recognize that our long-term success is dependent upon collaborating with all stakeholders.

Cynthia Carroll

Cynthia Carroll

CEO,

Anglo American

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why-join

Why Join

  • BCtA raises awareness, provides recognition and visibility to quality inclusive business commitments and supports the inclusive business journey to enhance performance and social impact. We provide:
    • Leadership platform for recognition and greater visibility
    • Support in impact measurement and effectiveness
    • Advocacy for inclusive business support

  • Leadership platform for recognition and greater visibility

    Under this area, BCtA provides the following services to its members:
    • Through its global platform, BCtA provides visibility and recognition to quality inclusive businesses commitments
    • Selective membership in a UN-based platform
    • BCtA features member companies globally through various communication channels, case studies, events and webinars
    • BCtA facilitates linkages between businesses, knowledge partners, funders, and other resources

  • Support in impact measurement and effectiveness

    Under this area, BCtA provides the following services to its members:
    • Supports companies to better plan for social impact, as well as monitor and drive inclusive business performance
    • Offering a suite of  public tools and conducting workshops and trainings to help companies advance their inclusive business management practices, and allowing companies to understand where they are in their inclusive business maturity curve against peers and how to advance in their journey

  • Advocacy for inclusive business support

    Under this area, BCtA provides the following services to its members:
    • Gathering a credible evidence base of quality inclusive business models across sectors and geographies that deliver social impact and contribute to the SDGs
    • Increasing awareness among policy makers on the benefits of the inclusive business approach and thus improving the environment for inclusive businesses overall
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how-to-join

How to Join

  • BCtA membership does not cost money. Companies join BCtA with specific, time-bound commitments to advance Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through commercially viable inclusive business models that engage base of the economic pyramid (BOP) populations – those living on less than $10 per day in purchasing power in 2015 US dollars.
  • Inclusive business commitments are assessed against a set of Eligibility Criteria:
  • Eligible companies are encouraged to reach out to the BCtA team at bcta@undp.org to discuss their interest in membership. Companies can also submit a draft application to bcta@undp.org. The current BCtA membership application (last updated July 21, 2020) is available for download here. In completing this form, companies are required to describe their inclusive business commitment and their key objectives, as well as provide detail on the characteristics of the product/service, value chain inclusion, impact at BOP, commercial viability, innovation and scalability.
  • The BCtA Secretariat conducts due diligence and risk assessment on all aspiring members according to UNDP’s policy for due diligence. BCtA assesses both the company’s overall environmental, social, governance (ESG) and industry performance as well as the quality of its inclusive business commitment as it relates to the potential for commercial success, impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and benefits for the base of the economic pyramid (BOP) populations. Furthermore, all BCtA members are expected to adhere to the BCtA code of conduct.
     
eligibility

Eligibility

  1. The company demonstrates its adherence to sustainable business practices, especially related to gender equity, human rights, labor, community well-being, environment, and good governance & management.
    • This can be demonstrated through existence of the relevant policies and processes to ensure implementation and adherence to such practices.
    • In the application, companies need to demonstrate how the above ESG practices are used to ensure the well-being, fair treatment, participation, and positive impact on the BoP communities and individuals it works with.
  2. The inclusive business initiative the company applies with demonstrates the potential to create both financial returns for the company and economic and social returns for low-income communities in developing countries.
    • To meet the requirement for financial returns, an initiative should:
      • Engage the core competencies of a company and be a sustainable part of its business, as opposed to being driven by philanthropic or social investment goals;
      • Have potential to be further scalable and replicable within a given market or across new markets; and
      • Contribute to achieving a company’s commercial targets such as increased revenue, access to new markets, improved quality of supply chains or an increased customer base.
    • To meet the requirement for economic and social returns, an initiative should:
      • Responsibly integrate underserved populations into the company’s value chain as suppliers, producers, retailers, distributors, employees, stakeholders or a combination thereof, or provide appropriate and affordable products or services to low-income consumers;
      • Contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and
      • Be located in one or more developing countries.
  3. The inclusive business commitment the company applies with represents a new approach to doing business for the company, enabling it to access and serve markets in ways that were not previously possible.
    • The initiative should not constitute a long-standing, mainstream business activity for the company without any added value or innovation.
    • It may be a scale-up or an expansion of existing business model; break-through to new markets and geographies; innovative component to the model that increases benefits to BOP communities; or new partnerships among companies and institutions.
  4. The inclusive business commitment is able to generate measurable results.
    • Application clearly identifies where an initiative will be implemented, provides quantitative and qualitative targets for the expected business and development outcomes, and defines a timeline for reaching these targets.
    • Once a company is accepted as BCtA member, it will be required to submit annual updates on the initiative’s progress against business and development indicators, identified in the original application.
  5. Financing for the initiative is in place.
    • BCtA does not provide funding for member companies to implement their initiatives.
    • A company must demonstrate that financing is secured for at least the initial part of a proposed initiative and there is a financing strategy for the entire duration of the initiative.
    • While initial funding for pilots can come from donor organizations or foundations, companies must be able to present a plan for creating a sustainable business model that does not rely on long-term grant funding.

Exclusionary criteria: The Business Call to Action will not accept applications from companies that produce or trade in weapons and munitions; tobacco; or gambling. Companies that trade in any product or activity deemed illegal under host country laws or regulations or international conventions and agreements, or that are subject to sanction by the UN Security Council, or suspension from the Procurement Division of the UN, will not be accepted for BCtA membership.

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Join BCtA Report Requirements

Membership Policy and Annual Progress Update

In line with the BCtA Membership Policy, BCtA member companies are required to provide an annual progress update on the impact of their initiatives for the duration of their commitment timeline.

By capturing the quantitative and qualitative progress of its member initiatives, BCtA aims to:

  • Ensure the credibility of its members' commitments;
  • Demonstrate the unique contribution of BCtA initiatives to development and the SDGs;
  • Inform and improve practice in the creation of inclusive business models; and
  • Inspire additional action by the private sector.

Annual progress updates are linked to the business and development indicators selected in the company's approved member application and can be completed online in the member portal.

The BCtA Secretariat team reaches out to companies who are due to submit annual progress updates at the beginning of each year with instruction for completing the progress updates and to offer any additional support needed.

At the end of their commitment timeline, companies are invited to make a new inclusive business commitment in order to maintain active membership status and continue to benefit from BCtA's member services.