Aceites Esenciales de Colombia (ACECOLSA) has built a sustainable bio-commerce company following a model by which the producers and farmers are associates of the company. There mission is to develop agroindustry in a way that recuperates and conserves the environment, creating ecologically sound products for international markets. These are principally essential oils and related products.

ACECOLSA recently won the Von Humboldt Institute’s Sustainable Commerce prize. Currently working in the Department of Santander, in an area highly affected by erosion and environmental exploitation, the company seeks over time to expand its work to other areas, with new products that allow an acceptable and sustainable use of the environment.

This innovative company works with local farming communities, helping them develop in an integral manner, and creating nuclei that in their turn operate as companies. Sustainable prices are guaranteed with extra benefits to incentivise quality. ACECOLSA also offer courses in ecological land management.

The organisations with which ACECOLSA works have a high regard for social justice and include one that has been working for farmers and development for over forty years and has successfully promoted diverse initiatives such as cooperativism, social leadership, education and socio-economic development.

Alexandria Carbon Black (ACB) produces carbon black, which is mainly used in tyre production (it is also used in inks, plastics and paints). ACB has always been a company that believes in quality of product, quality of environment and quality of people. That is why two years after it was registered in 1993 ACB became the first carbon black company in the world to receive ISO-14001 certification for environmental management.

ACB’s excellent performance and various awards achieved by the company has created an excellent brand image and ACB is treated as Egypt’s best joint venture company. This good reputation is attracting very talented candidates to take up careers in a world-class company. The International Finance Corporation selected ACB as one of the world’s five most environmentally friendly companies. ACB is also supporting many social projects for the economically disadvantaged, such as orphanages, organising blood donation camps and contribution to educational organisations. It has also developed innovative and award-winning employee-reward schemes.

Why did Alexandria Carbon Black Co join the Southern Business Challenge?

In our interaction with SBC, we have found that SBC is a very active organisation which is committed to bring together progressive companies and entrepreneurs from developing countries and to promote an action agenda for sustainability and social justice. This will bring synergy in the quality companies who are committed to sustainability and create a healthy environment bringing in satisfaction to the employees and the society by becoming a good corporate citizen.
www.alexcarbon.com

Bannari Amman is one of the largest industrial conglomerates in South India with a wide spectrum of manufacturing, trading, distribution and financing activities. Its manufacturing and trading arms include sugar, alcohol, liquor, granite, cotton yarn, knitted garments and shoes. Service sector activities include wind power energy, education an health care. The group’s net worth exceeds US$60 million, with sales turnover over US $200 million.

Its focus is simple: organised business growth through value-based management contributing to a better society. While seeking to emerge as a leader among competitors in terms of market share, Bannari Amman believe in striking a balance between profitability and social welfare, always emphasising complete customer satisfaction. It integrates this philosophy into all its diverse interests.

Among Bannari Amman’s pioneering investments are wind turbines which generate 20.2 MW in high wind areas like Poolavadi, Gudimangalam and Muppandal in Tamil Nadu. They use turbines supplied by world-renowned outfits such as Enercon from Germany, Micon, Wind World and Vestas RRB from Denmark. The power generated from the wind energy generators is fed to the Tamil Nadu State Electricity Board’s Grid and adjusted in the power consumption of various industries, established by the group.

Another example of Bannari Amman’s attempts to be environmentally responsible, and profitable at the same time is its sugar industry. Sugar factories are self-sufficient in their requirement of electric power, water, steam and fuel. By producing steam at high pressures and using more efficient turbines, sugar plants can produce electricity in excess of their own requirements. Co-generation has been globally recognised as a reliable way of generating of electricity. Bannari Amman Sugars Limited, in their sugar unit near Nanjangud in Karnataka, has installed a co-generation plant and is exporting surplus 13MW power to the Karnataka State Electricity Board’s Grid.

Bannari Amman’s commitment to development in India has culminated in the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology, a centre of excellence in Engineering and Technology.

Why did Bannari Amman Group join the Southern Business Challenge?

We want to become a member of the Southern Business Challenge in order to advocate the basic principles of the SBC, particularly private and public sector collaboration, and help achieve sustainable development, social justice and poverty eradication in this part of the world.
www.bannari.com

Dezign Incorporated is a manufacturing and screen printing organisation based in Harare, Zimbabwe. Their factory wholesales to the trade and to its franchised outlets. Collaboration with African artists and designers results in the production of original and unique products and ranges.

Fair trading and environmental responsibility are integral parts of the manufacture and marketing of Dezign’s products. As fair traders they endeavour to operate their business in such a way as to ensure an equitable and ethnical relationship with our stakeholders as well as developing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with all people and organizations.

As well as their traditional business aims of ensuring profitability in a transparent and sustainable way, keeping high standards of service and constantly improving products, Dezign Incorporated maintains more progressive core aims as well. It is committed to continually assessing and improving the materials and processes involved in the life cycle of their products, in order to reduce their environmental impact as well as ensure the highest levels of environmental responsibility.

Dezign operates within the principles of fair trade whereby employees and other principal stakeholders own equity in the organization to help enable economic security, prosperity and develop a sense of ownership. As far as is consistent with viability, wages are pegged with the objective of achieving a decent livelihood for all employees. The personal and professional growth of employees is a priority – they provide ongoing subsidised training and education focused on empowerment, as well as having an affirmative policy of internal promotion.

Like many Zimbabwean companies, Dezign has recently been suffering under an economic recession but it believes that 2002/3 will see a return to profitability after a 50% loss in earnings.

Why did Dezign join the Southern Business Challenge?

The objectives of Southern Business Challenge fit very well into our mission statement.
www.dezigninc.co.zw

Formation Carpets is a carpet manufacturing and exporting company. Since its inception it has embraced the need to be socially and environmentally sound, as well as financially stable. These principles are fully incorporated in its work. Sulochana Shrestha Shah, Formation’s President, has been one of the forerunners in the campaign against child labour in carpet industries, which has been prevalent in Nepal. In 1997 she was awarded the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights award for her contribution to combating child labour. She was recently elected General Secretary of Rugmark International.

Formation Carpets is a manufacturing company involved in a number of employment-generating activities. The people who benefit most from its successful business and progressive vision are those people belonging to the lower economic strata, particularly women.

The company was registered in the year 1991. It follows a participatory management system in its governance structure, in which the employees and the management are in constant interaction, discussing problems and new ideas, taking decisions at regular meetings. This way of working has led to a number of benefits for Formation employees and the business as a whole.

The workers and weavers work in a modern and healthy working atmosphere and receive an above average wage. Educational and health care facilities have been provided for the employees and their children along with a day care centre for the infants. Occasional adult literacy classes are offered to create awareness about health, hygiene and family planning and at least make them able to read and write.

Formation believes that investment in employees creates higher self-esteem and contributes to a more productive working environment, from which the bottom-line benefits. Preference is given to hiring woman to boost woman empowerment in Nepalese society - 90% of Formation’s employees are women.

Why did Formation Carpets join the Southern Business Challenge?

“We joined the SBC to meet other businesses and to have an international network of progressive companies who believe in and are committed to our common principles of sustainable development, social justice, personal ethics and corporate integrity.”
www.formationcarpets.com.np

As a socially-based entrepreneurial venture, Fulcrum EcoSystems (FES) has the double challenge of building a software technology tailored to the needs of socially responsible companies, as well as prove to potential investors that there is a significant market for their services – that is, that there are enough companies in the market place that are trying to implement sustainability agendas.

Fulcrum EcoSystems has developed a software application based on more than three years of research in the areas of corporate social responsibility, stakeholder governance and information technology. Their software is specifically tailored to fulfill the information management needs of institutions and companies that require a multistakeholder process in order to advance their sustainability agendas.

The software is designed to make informed decisions out of a participatory consultation process; by providing the ability to input information, organize concepts and analyze feedback from any type of stakeholder who has access to the internet. Their innovation consists of a web based system that provides the ability to set up a cluster of meetings from agenda setting (through a seamless voting mechanism) to follow-up tasks, minutes and visual representation of the consultation continuum. In addition the system provides a document centered approach for acquiring stakeholder inputs and identifying conflicts or issues.

As social entrepreneurs, the ethical mission is explicit and central to their goals and it is the main criterion of their activities. Fulcrum’s management team has more than 10 years of experience on issues related to sustainable development working for government agencies, NGOs and MNCs.

Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (MSP), involving multilateral institutions (like the United Nations), civil society, and the private sector, are emerging as the key implementation mechanisms of the triple bottom-line approach.

Fulcrum’s founders realized that the management of the different and often conflicting agendas of these stakeholders represents a major pain, and therefore a market opportunity. Organizations that have failed to understand the importance of stakeholder governance have suffered substantial financial losses and in some cases the loss of a license to operate.

Fulcrum’s is committed to presenting its solutions to the full spectrum of clients in need. For instance, they have developed a flexible pricing model for their technology that will allow them to target multinational corporations as well as non profit organizations. Fulcrum is a partner of the Natural step, a non-profit organization working on sustainability issues in the US, Europe, Israel, Australia and Japan.

Why did Fulcrum EcoSystems join the Southern Business Challenge?

Joining a network of like minded businesses will provide us with the ability to unite our voice and leverage relationships to our benefit. It will help strengthen our positioning by exchanging information on areas like market penetration, sustainable business practices and financial and fiscal incentives. We will be able to find new partners, argue for incentives and benefits for early stage socially responsible entrepreneurs, and get an insight into the global agenda as it pertains to issues of sustainability and multistakeholder partnerships.

Furthermore, coming from a country like Mexico where infrastructure to support entrepreneurial activity is limited and capital for investment in socially responsible ventures is at best scarce, we believe that joining a network will help us better identify resources get exposure and achieve market validation.

Grupo Empresarial Amazónico del Perú (GEA) is a start up forest and industrial project located in Pucallpa, in the Amazon Rain Forest. It will manufacture six value-added and eco-certified timber products produced from 2 native lumber species, Bolaina Blanca (guazuma crinita) and Capirona (calycophyllum spruceanum), that grow three times faster than competitors species due to genetic seed selection.

GEA’s strategic location in Pucallpa represents costs reductions on timber transportation, labor rates, tax exemptions and rebates, final products transport efficiency and others. The local supply chain has been secured through carefully cultivated relationships and agreements with native communities. In the longer term, GEA will also develop its own forest, thereby saving 40% in raw material costs. Alternative imported substitute goods are 10% more expensive, and lower quality.

GEA has signed an agreement signed with a local private energy firm, buying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at reduced rates as it is a pilot project for 100% gas usage in Peru. Carbon credits gained from sequestration will improve the bottom line in the long term.

The product mix for the next two years includes kitchen and cabinet doors, moldings, pre-fabricated houses, panel doors, edge glue and finger joint panels. Markets have been identified in Peru, and further afield in Europe. WWF and GTZ (the German development agency) are assisting GEA in the groundbreaking Peruvian FSC certification process, which will enhance international marketing and secure long term contracts.

The company’s founder, Killian Baumeler, brings three generations of experience in forestry and wood design. He anticipates that GEA will be a sound investment offering a solid return. GEA is also generating environmental and social dividends to its shareholders and stakeholders. New programs will be promoted to improve soil conservation, regulate water cycle, erosion and sedimentation control, flora management, genetic diversity and production of non-timber woods in GEA production-forest to maintain flora balance with strategic allies support.

GEA will contribute to spreading know-how about reforestation so that local farmers can reduce migratory agriculture (therefore stopping deforestation) and stabilize themselves in one area. PRONATURALEZA, a well know Peruvian NGO linked to The Nature Conservancy (TNC), is critical for success in this area as it is the interface between the business and the community. But local farmers will not change to sustainable forestry management if there is no market for its final product, so GEA will ensure the market for certified timber, which does not yet exist in Peru.
www.madeweb.net/gea/

Interface Trading was created in 1995 by Moctar Fall and a group of his friends with whom he worked in an international rural development NGO. Taking advantage of their experience they set up a private company which supports small scale producer groups marketing their products in local markets as well as internationally.

The first thing that Mr Fall and his staff to is provide groups who produce agricultural products (such as fresh fruits and vegetables) with inputs. They sell seeds, fertilisers and chemicals at the lowest possible price - 15-20% lower than their competitors. Their philosophy is one of shared interest. Interface also offers technical support and assistance in production and post production stages (including storage, packaging, quality assurance etc). Finally, the groups are given market information and prices to plan production and co-marketing.

The second range of products Interface is associated with are handicrafts. In this field, they support and train producers and then market all their produce in fair trade markets in the USA and Australia.

Mr Fall runs the company with a staff of between six and 16 people, depending on the season. Stakeholders and two producer representatives are on the board committee.

Why did Interface Trading join the Southern Business Challenge?

Because of it’s commitment to promote business alternatives also because of the very strong framework it could be for capacity building, networking, and lobbying.

PVMTI India are specialists in renewable energy engineering and environmental mitigation who have run over 600 projects in 90 countries over the past 20 years. Over 50% of its work is on solar energy, providing the right type of solar panels to communities and companies. Wind, the fastest growing energy sector in the world, is also a key sector (IT Power develops small turbines for water and electricity). Micro-hydro power has increased in importance as diesel costs have escalated and local resource dependency increases. Finally, energy from Biomass (such as wood and briquetting) completes an array of measures that serve local need and help mitigate climate change.

PVMTI India also offers its financial expertise as a service. Using funds from the European Community it sets up businesses selling energy to villages. This develops entrepreneurship and enables urban and rural micro-credit, which large donors find difficult, at the same time as investing in renewable energy.

Training institutions have been developed with a view to them becoming fully commercial. Investing in research and development in such areas as wind pumps and turbines, sterling engines, integration of photo-voltaic cells into buildings and marine current turbines, will help developing countries and particular communities to develop appropriate technology.

PVMTI India has pioneered some exciting “South-South” collaborations including the Photovoltaic Market Transformation Initiative in India, Morocco and Kenya which saw the first instance of IFC money going straight to the investees rather than via governments, and an exchange of Eco-Silk production techniques between Morocco, Nepal and India. Other programmes have led to methods of filtering and distributing water at village level, thus cutting down on massive transport costs, and a scheme to keep the polio vaccine at the right temperature in rural Nepal.
www.pvmti.com

Kaaru operates as a collective that brings together contemporary architects, designers and rural craft persons practicing traditional skills that have been passed down through generations. It provides a platform where many minds meet and contribute towards finding solutions that can guarantee the self-sustenance of rural artisans, continuance of their vernacular art forms and conservation of the environment in which these are rooted.

Kaaru’s work finds expression through activities such as collaborating with traditional masters on craft research and development projects, designing a range of lifestyle products that demonstrate ecological awareness and responsibility, and carrying out specially commissioned architectural and interior design projects that challenge conventional notions of craft application.

There are about over 9 million craft workers in India (full and part time) but the sector contributes only 6 percent of India’s total GDP in manufacturing. While the market is expanding slowly, problems persist due to the dispersed and disorganized nature of the crafts sector. There is a lack of appropriate design inputs and imaginative commercial practices, and production and supply have continued to be inadequate due to non-availability of raw materials. The founders of Kaaru, Anjalee Wakankar and Sanjib Chatterjee, identified a need for timely and intelligent intervention to forge a symbiotic relationship between craft and design and maintain the sustenance of artisans and their craft traditions.

KAARU has introduced appropriate technology to improve quality and productivity, provided market support through assistance in marketing, sales and distribution to ensure economic self-sustenance by determining the demands of both the domestic and international markets and introduced innovative and visionary marketing strategies. They offer financial support by providing working capital to assist artisans. They have also helped sensitize the artisans, designers and architects with whom they work to issues of sustainability and environment through interactive programs.

Why did Kaaru join the Southern Business Challenge?

We believe that through the SBC, KAARU will be able to connect with other organisations that share its vision and philosophy. We also believe that a collective voice is better heard than individual representations, to effect meaningful change.

Kingsway Fund Management (KFM) is one of Hong Kong’s pioneering fund management companies and has been registered with the Hong Kong Securities and futures commission as an investment advisor since 1974. A member of the international Kingsway Group, it began to manage Unit Trusts in 1978 and presently operates 6 open ended Unit trusts. The primary focus of KFM’s investment activities is the Asia pacific region.

KFM is a market leader in providing Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI) products to the Asian marketplace. Since August 2000 KFM has applied an SRI values screen to all its public funds and across its MPF products. In 2001 as part of its continuing commitment to the promotion of SRI, it launched its SRI ACTIVE methodology.

As a leading Asian practioner of Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI), Kingsway seeks to promote sustainability and social responsibility through its investment philosophy. In its active SRI fund Kingsway evaluates companies on 19 non financial criteria which include looking at human rights violations, examining corporate governance and public accountability standards, assessing environmental impacts and monitoring the scale and scope of equal opportunities and other employee welfare policies. In 2002 Kingsway will launch the first Asian based, Pan Asian sustainable investment fund.

Kingsway is a founding sponsor of the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA), and is the only Asian founding sponsor. ASrIA was launched to help improve awareness of SRI and to help the development and launch of SRI funds in the region.

One of the major obstacles to the growth of SRI as an asset class is a lack of education. In general SRI is a very new concept in Asia and while awareness is growing, particularly in the more mature financial centres of Singapore and Hong Kong it is still widely seen as a niche product. Regulators and exchanges are still worried that a process which restricts portfolio composition could lead to underperformance. Empirical evidence from Europe needs to be presented to illustrate this is not necessarily the case. Other obstacles include lack of corporate awareness of SRI, poor investor education, and the perennial definitional problems that afflict SRI, problems that KFM hopes will diminish as SRI practitioners realise there is no one size fits all solution. Equally SRI needs to continue its evolution from it is early ethical propositions to include the considerations of other religions, particularly Buddhism and Islam, which are followed by a great proportion of Asia’s population.

With the only active Asian-based, pan-Asian SRI fund, Kingsway is in a unique position to help further the case for sustainable business in Asia. By actively investing in companies who embrace the four criteria, Kingsway provides the equity capital which allows them both to undertake and grow their activities. Furthermore through constant engagement with businesses on the ground in Asia, Kingsway also provides a valuable educational service.
www.kingswayfm.com

Established in 1998, with the view to creating employment in a socially and environmentally responsible manner, Lotus Holdings sets out to promote socially responsible entrepreneurial development in Nepal. It does this in two key ways: by providing business support services to entrepreneurs in the areas of management, marketing, finance, and research and development, and by providing investments where required.

Lotus Holdings seeks to be responsible to the society in which it operates. This philosophy is the overriding factor in all of its dealings with associate companies and enterprises. Lotus Holdings is involved with those entrepreneurs that have an inclination towards the concept of CSR but are facing difficulties in their area of business.

As an investment house Lotus Holdings presently has 14 associate companies under its umbrella in such diverse sectors as manufacturing, IT, trading, and consultancy (it retains a 50% holding in all its companies). The performance of the associates is reviewed through quarterly audits, consultative meetings, sectoral meetings and interactions. Lotus Holdings is not an investment company in the traditional sense – most investors pull out when a company starts getting into trouble, but Lotus Holdings stays in because it wants its companies to succeed.

Lotus also has expertise in business development services, so it is expanding this aspect of its work, offering services to businesses, including small businesses, that want to develop sustainably. It already has 24 clients, including one of Nepal’s leading Pashmina exporters. As well as supporting existing businesses, Lotus Holdings also helps create new ones, ‘taking venture funds to the micro level’. The hope is that the employment generated will have a ripple effect.

Led by its CEO, Rajiv Pradhan, Lotus Holdings sees its core functions as identifying and initiating new business ventures, promoting entrepreneurial ventures and ensuring success, fostering corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Lotus community as well as amongst the business community at large. It also seeks to provide better employment opportunities to semi-skilled and skilled manpower, integrate the less privileged section of society, particularly women and children, into every new venture, ensure that the economic benefits attained by the ventures of Lotus Holdings reach all stakeholders in a justified manner. Lotus has also set up institutions working for the welfare and overall development – social, educational and health related – of the people directly or indirectly involved with its ventures.

Considering the poor standards of education available to many of Nepal’s children, Lotus Holdings has begun an innovative relationship with Hoste Hainse, an NGO which provides educational facilities. All Lotus companies have signed the Social Code Of Conduct, which includes providing education to children, health insurance to the employees, and wages according to the law, among other things.

Lotus Holdings believes in business with ethics. Its vision is of a self-reliant, socially and economically developed society achieved through the growth of business enterprises. Its mission is to create successful business enterprises which generate employment opportunities. This has been the driving force behind the company and as it continues to grow into the next millennium, it will remain in the business of helping people achieve these dreams.
www.lotusholdings.com

Lotus Paper Crafts are manufacturers and exporters of Nepali handmade papers and products. Founded in 1993, the company affiliated with Lotus Holdings in 1998 as they had a similar vision and mission and to further strengthen their business goals.

Since its inception, Lotus Paper Crafts has been working to promote Nepali handmade paper products in the international market. Simultaneously, it has been striving to attain its far-reaching goals of developing paper making activities in the country and overall improvement of socio-economic conditions of less privileged people, in rural as well as urban areas.

The raw materials needed for the paper production are only found in rural areas of Nepal so the production process’s major activity is directly related with rural people. By supporting the rural economy, the industry is playing a vital role in improving the overall economic situation of the lower strata of the society. The product contains 100% value addition within the country. The raw material is obtained from a regenerative plant called Lokta, so the removal of the plant does not involve any negative ecological factors or damage the environment.

Lotus Paper Crafts has been providing health care facilities to its employees as well as for their children. Altogether 30 employees are receiving the health care facilities provided by the company, and 15 children of the employees are receiving scholarship support for their education. The company has plans to set up a Day Care Centre for infants of employees. The company donates around 1% of its turnover to the welfare of its employees.

Special consideration is shown towards underprivileged woman and the physically handicapped. A new Deaf Unit, established in association with the NGO Deaf Hostel, provides work for eight deaf employees, including three women, who make high quality products like lampshades and notebooks. Out of a total workforce of 45, 34 are women employees.

Why did Lotus Paper Crafts join the Southern Business Challenge?

Because we are trying to be a socially responsible enterprise in Nepal. We are trying to comply with the philosophy of Corporate Social Responsibility.
www.lotuscrafts.com

NatuScience Fitorepelentes is a young company with an innovative proposal. The company was founded in 1998 by Regina de Castro with the initial aim of producing and marketing the pioneering insect repellent known as the andiroba candle, whose high efficacy is scientifically certified. The company sought from the beginning to establish partnerships with local communities, NGOs and governments involved in sustainable programmes, to achieve a new marketing approach to andiroba (Carapa Guianenses) – a tree in danger of extinction due to illegal logging. The idea was also to bring other benefits to the communities, adding value to their work extracting the vegetable oil and the fruit pulp, and manufacturing traditional Amazonian soap.

From this initial aim arose the first products of the Andiroba Range: the candle, the oils (combined with others such as copaiba, arnica, lavender and citronella) and two soaps: the rustic (made by local women) and the more sophisticated Duo.

Nevertheless, a challenge emerged in the initial production of the candle: this concerned the fate of the industrial residue, which is between 21% and 35% of the paraffin and cellulose of the andiroba. Following extensive research, NatuScience has now patented the Andiroba Torch and Biotorch (large candles) made from the recycling of the residue material.

Ms de Castro and NatuScience are committed to reviving the traditional popular use of the medicinal andiroba and the valuing of the ‘andirobeiras’ – Amazonian women who extract the oil from the fruit and make soap and awareness-raising about the therapeutic value of andiroba on a new larger scale.

Ms de Castro believes that ethics is a daily experience, with constant challenges to its development. It is present in every decision, choice, attitude made by the company and its stakeholders. NatuScience has a strong commitment to clear and complete information - this is the best way to build a strong and sustainable relationship with stakeholders.

A final objective of NatuScience’s is to contribute to the controlling of fatal diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue, filariasis, leishmaniasis, allergies and discomfort caused by insect bites which afflict the whole planet.

Why did NatuScience join the Southern Business Challenge?

Because we can see a great affinity between our aims and the objectives of this enterprise, and we would like to play a part in the expansion and development of the economic, ethical and social principles of a new world economy.
www.natuscience.com.br

Nepal Knotcraft Center is a pioneering business manufacturing macramé products, recycled wooden items and ethnic cornhusk dolls in Nepal. Since it was established by Shyam Badan Shrestha in 1984, the Center has been engaged in developing unique handicrafts using indigenous raw materials. Constant research and creation of new designs using locally available raw materials and resources help the company achieve sustainable development. The company always gives priority to the welfare of the artisans, respects their opinions and allows equal participation in major decisions.

Ms Shrestha was born into a poor family to a single mother. She started working when she was eight years old. She trained as a teacher, a career she pursued for 13 years. Despite no business background or training Ms Shrestha set up Nepal Knotcraft Centre in 1984 with the initial capital investment of Nepali Rs200 (about US$3 ). Ms Shresta’s motivation was to give employment opportunities to socially and economically underprivileged women, especially young girls who want to educate themselves but unable to pay the fees like myself. The Center still has an almost entirely female workforce.

When India imposed a trade embargo on Nepal in 1988 for nearly a year, many small enterprises like closed down. However, Ms Shrestha’s creativity came to the rescue. Nepal Knotcraft Center started to produce cornhusk dolls out of raw materials available in Nepal. Cornhusk is a waste material and the product is therefore environmentally friendly. It opened up a new business which was unheard in Nepal during that time. Now Nepal Knotcraft Centre markets cornhusk ethnic dolls nationally and internationally.

Many enterprises have since been started, following the pioneering work of Nepal Knotcraft Centre, and Ms Shrestha looks with pride not only on her own small company, but at the industry she has helped to create, especially for young women.

Why did Nepal Knotcraft Center join the Southern Business Challenge?

“We joined the SBC for the progressive development of our country, focusing on women’s economic empowerment.”

The focus of Parallax’s work is the provision of sustainable development solutions that also contribute to climate change mitigation. Its role is to identify relevant development activities, match these to the investment interests of multinationals and the agendas of the relevant aspect of the public sector, and then to co-ordinate the implementation of required action.

Parallax was set up by its two principal directors, Dean Cooper and Cindy Sampson. Mr Cooper has worked in energy and environmental sectors for more than 10 years. He has been based in the UK, Belgium, South Africa and Botswana for the European Commission, and has focused on managing projects in developing areas. More recently he has managed an NPO in Tanzania, and worked in the UK and South Africa on various sustainable change initiatives. Ms Sampson has a background in law and structured finance, and worked for Shell S A for seven years in their legal and new business development departments. She has also spent time in the USA working with various inner city and student business incubator initiatives. More recently she has worked with electricity service providers on urban & rural energisation projects, and with various development consultants on the regulatory framework for natural gas in South Africa.

Sustainable development is the foundation for all Parallax activity. The aim of the company is to improve economic, social and environmental conditions in Southern Africa through appropriate investment from the international public and private sectors. International donor organisations that support such work undertaken by Parallax do so with the aim of achieving sustainable solutions in the context of the highest moral and ethical standards. In the private sector, Parallax aims to help international business achieve the targets of corporate social responsibility through the management of investments that achieve practical benefit in the “developing” countries of Southern Africa. Social and gender equity, engagement of all stakeholders with a focus on the needs of communities in rural areas of Southern Africa, and the integrity of business practice are all fundamental elements of the work undertaken by Parallax and of the direction set for the business.

Parallax recognises the importance of seeing things differently. By using their access to a network of key decision-makers and understanding the potential for locally available resources, Parallax matches these different needs to real solutions and we offer a unique service to selected customers. Sustainable solutions are only achieved by working together with local people, not by imposing external remedies, even if well-intended. The Parallax approach is built upon direct interaction, ensuring joint commitment, lasting results and cost-effective benefits for all involved.

“SBC offers an ideal opportunity to establish an influential network with the sharing of experience and resources to achieve a common goal. We believe that the principles adopted by SBC match those of Parallax and we welcome this chance to discuss and debate key issues with like-minded organisations and entrepreneurs with a view to promoting the implementation of action to achieve sustainable development.”
www.parallaxonline.net

Established in 1973, today Pranda Jewelery is Thailand’s leading jewellery manufacturer and exporter. It has achieved its success without violating human rights and fundamental labour principles. Among prestigious awards, Pranda has been granted the certificate for joining the Project on Women and Young Workers Inspection for Export Promotion. It has taken a stand against those who argue that child workers are an important long term investment by complying with all employment standards for child labour, and for women.

Pranda believes that productivity is a direct result of job satisfaction and sound business practices, especially in the jewellery business. A quality work life is essential in a field where beauty, uniqueness, and craftsmanship powerful combine to meet international challenges. A creative piece of art must carry in it a sense of prestige and pride. To maintain stability and high standard, Pranda adheres strongly to the good governance as means to boost performance, business ethics and morale of its employees at all levels.

The Pranda site comprises not only factory buildings, but also rows of employee housing, as well as factory-based facilities including a sport and recreational centre, a soccer field, a convenience store, a mobile post office, a first-aid clinic, a cafeteria, a child care centre, and the recently established non formal education centre.

Pranda’s ambition has been clearly reflected not only in their daily practices but has been instilled in its corporate culture and in their Guiding Principles.

All Pranda employees are given the opportunity to continuous self development blending working and living in a well blended life event and pleasant experience. In a workplace of 3,500 employees, Pranda realizes the importance of healthy workers as valuable “human assets” that deserve good corporate welfare and career development. Occupational safety and health is reflected in all aspect of the production line from proper ventilation, ergonomic design workstation, machinery, and the clean and green work environment. Among many others, a First-Aid training course has been conducted by Sikharin hospital. A pseudo-life model was used to demonstrate the emergency care and treatment including restoring respiration, transferring of injuries and life rescues.

At Pranda talents are captured and nurtured. That is what makes Pranda an excellent example of a business making money in an ethical way.
www.pranda.com

Snow Leopard Trek Ltd is an adventure travel company that contributes to the local economy even in the most remote areas of Nepal, building economic stability and social justice from the grassroots. It was founded by Ms Yankila Sherpa in 1985. As the sole proprietor of the company, Ms Sherpa leads a team of adventure tourism specialists making decisions based on the input and recommendations of the field staff.

Tourism is the main revenue earner for the people as well as the government in Nepal. Outdoor adventure tourism in Nepal is one of the very few industries that contributes to the local economy even in the most remote areas of the country.

Snow Leopard staff consists of full time professional Sherpa mountaineers, guides, cooks and other field staff who receive regular training in a selection of trekking routes and courses relating to eco-trekking. The cooks are trained to prepare a wide variety of Nepali, Chinese and Continental cuisine!

Snow Leopard is the only agency in Nepal to receive the Abraham Conservation Award from the World Wildlife Fund in recognition of their outstanding contribution to nature conservation and eco-tourism in Nepal. Local community engagement is fundamental to making services efficient, quality-oriented, and ethical – employment for local people, support for the local economy through local purchases of food, and revenue for local community development through payment of local fees and taxes.

In 1996 Ms Sherpa was elected as the first woman President of TAAN, the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal. She is now an advisor to the TAAN Executive Committee. During her tenure with TAAN she initiated national level eco-trekking workshops for the entire trekking industry.

Workplace practices are formulated and implemented based on realistic projections that include competitive prices, value for money, and personalized services. While the integrity of the company is one of the main reasons that employees continue to provide reliable services, it is also instrumental in client-referrals. Since our services are related to outdoor tourism, community engagement is important and integral to making our services efficient, quality oriented, and professional (e.g. employment for local people, support for local economy through local purchases of food, and revenue for local community development through payment of local fees and taxes).

Because of her experience and commitment as a woman entrepreneur Ms Sherpa was recently nominated by His Majesty King Gyanedra Bir Bikram Shah Dev as a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly.

Why did Snow Leopard Trek join the Southern Business Challenge?

“As an outdoor adventure service provider in an underdeveloped country, I want to network internationally to encourage tourists to visit Nepal and thus contribute towards the development of the country as well as the preservation of the environment and rich culture of the Nepal Himalaya.”
www.snowleopardtreks.biz

Zambili d’Afrique means “many different things of Africa”. As well as trading in Zambian and other African arts and crafts, Zambili also provides business support services for craftsmen and women and SMEs to facilitate their access to lucrative markets. It was set up as a response to a need in Zambian society for a concerted effort towards addressing imbalances in trade practices locally, regionally and further afield.

Zambili’s mission is to contribute to the eradication of poverty in Zambia through economic and psycho-social development in a way that recognises the value of the individual as being fundamental to the humanistic principles of compassion and equity, whilst emphasising the value of working together.

When Zambili started its work in 1995, it concentrated on the developmental rather than trading arm of their work due to the prevailing economic situation in Zambia. However for the last two years the trading arm has been in the ascendancy, although it will continue to provide training and business support services to artisans.

The company is committed to promoting employment and facilitating the movement of informal sector operators into the formal sector. Improved conditions found in the formal sector should include fair wages; a good match between each person’s skills, capabilities, and the work that each is to do; adequate safety precautions; a pleasant work environment; the opportunity and encouragement to participate in decision making, and to share in the responsibilities and benefits of ownership. Producer groups associated with Zambili are encouraged to meet these criteria.

Zambili also works to speed the progress toward the introduction of appropriate technology and equipment to facilitate the smooth running of work generally regarded by all people as tedious or unpleasant. Individuals or groups of producers continue to operate independently and are protected from take over by any interest groups or organisations other than the founding members or trustees.

Why did Zambili d'Afrique join the Southern Business Challenge?

We look forward with hope and excitement to a fruitful and cordial relationship with the SBC and network of members. Zambili aims to empower people in Zambia and foster self reliance through business development and sensitisation. We identify and promote ethical and effective business practices in support of ‘fair trade. We feel this is in concert with the SBC’s outlined principles.
www.catgen.com/zambilicraft