Biodegradable crockery and a Vietnamese website to promote car-sharing were two of the environmental innovations recognised by the United Nations SEED (Start-ups and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development) Awards, part of its Environment Programme.
The SEED Initiative, founded in 2002, supports innovative, locally driven startup enterprises in developing countries that integrate social, environmental and economic benefits into their business models.
Speaking at the awards evening in Nairobi, Kenya, Environment Programme executive director Achim Steiner said: “These micro-companies are the little acorns from which big and mighty businesses could well grow, but they are more than that.
“These mini-enterprises are achieving profitability, not at the expense of their environment or their communities, but by providing solutions to the social, economic and environmental challenges of our time.
“If proof is needed that a transition to an inclusive green economy is underway, then look no further.”
As in previous years, the 2013 SEED Awards placed a special focus on Africa, with 20 awards being made to enterprises in Ethiopia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.
Among the other 34 winning entries were cocoa certified for speciality markets and affordable biodegradable sanitary pads made from banana waste.
The Environment Programme is part of a larger project called Stimulating the Green Economy in Africa, which is funded largely by the European Union, and a separate project funded by the government of Flanders to grant a further two awards in the South African provinces of Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.
