Entrepreneurship for climate mitigation and resilience -ICC/COP26 side event

Name: Entrepreneurship for climate mitigation and resilience -ICC/COP26 side event
Start: 2021-11-08

8 November 2021

Overview

Agenda

When: Monday, 8 November, 2021 | 10:00 CET.

Where: Online, register here.

What: ICC/COP26 Side Event

From 1-13 November 2021, the International Chamber of Commerce is hosting a fully virtual Make Climate Action Everyone’s Business Forum on the margins of COP26. The unique, partner-led format will bring together a diverse network of over 10,000 participants from the public and private sectors to align their climate ambitions and actions for the next decade. It will catalyse peer-to-peer discussions and frank exchanges between business leaders from small, medium-sized and multinational enterprises representing different sectors and jurisdictions; policymakers leading the UN negotiation process as well as local government representatives and UN agency heads.

To preserve our climate and deliver on net zero ambitions through circularity, resilience and sustainability, the international community is looking to different actors including the private sector to innovate, fund and develop green products and services.

To that end, it is essential to duly associate Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). But activating smaller actors focused on mitigation requires adequate capacity building and investment to enable concerned communities. It requires collaboration of big and smaller players, leadership and governance to move away from ecosystem destructive industries and a recognition of how nature and responsible development are interlinked. To do this effectively we need a combination of conducive policies, market instruments, finance and capacity building.

Together with selected innovative enterprises, ecosystem platforms and organisations working on more social, green & sustainable markets and policies, this event will highlight the fundamental role of small private sector actors in climate mitigation and circular economy. In support to the achievements and lessons from small-scale enterprises, emerging policies, partnerships and market instruments accessible to these small actors will be presented. This event is aimed to spark discussion on what mechanisms or technical assistance can effectively support and scale up responsible natural resources management and related business models.

Event aim

1. Highlight the relevance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and their contributions to advance net zero & the 2030 Agenda 2. Discuss the importance of including climate mitigation SMEs support in government frameworks 3. Sketch pathways for government to unlock the capacity of green SMEs in markets and economies

The event will be organised in two panels:

• Panel 1 on SME contributions to net zero; 4 SEED local enterprises, working in waste, energy and agriculture, will share their experiences; highlighting drivers and enablers and drawing lessons on how to further improve, replicate, scale up, their actions. • Panel 2: unlocking SME contributions to net zero; 5 organisations will inform the audience about international and national policies and tools that could further enable and support small-scale enterprises in their contribution to climate mitigation and circular economy.

Agenda is available here.

Click here for registration.

Agenda:

10:00-10:10 Brief opening by SEED, setting the scene with regards to the necessity to better consider and involve small-scale enterprises as active stakeholders towards net zero objectives and sustainable development.

10:10-11:00 Panel 1: SMEs contributions to net zero

1. Chad Robertson, founder Regenize, South Africa Regenize provides a freemium recycling service. They provide informal waste collectors with decentralised community-based recycling hubs for them to operate, PPE, recycling tricycles and access to clean recyclables. Once collected and sorted, Regenize purchases the recycled materials and sells them in bulk to waste processors.

2. Harry Malichi, Wuchi Wami, Zambia Wuch Wami packages, brands, markets and distributes local raw and organic honey through a farmer outgrower scheme. They equip smallholder farmers with modern beehives that are environmentally friendly and do not lead to local deforestation.

3. Piyush Jaju, Founder, Switch ON - ONergy, India Through the establishment of Renewable Energy Centres (REC), the enterprise increases awareness on solar power and sells its own affordable solar energy products like solar micro grids and lanterns. Rural entrepreneurs are trained at the centres to market the products to off-grid village households.

4. Thamonwan Virodchaiyan, co-founder, moreloop, Thailand moreloop buys high-quality waste at a fair price, then resells them for profit as input to new textile products, pursuing a circular economy model. They prevent surplus fabrics ending up in Thailand’s landfill.

11:00-11:50 Panel 2: Unlocking SMEs contributions to net zero

1. Gabriel Petrus, Deputy Director for Global Partnerships & Development, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) SME360X, measuring impact to become greener and competitive

2. Adriana Zacarias Farah, Senior Project Management Officer, Head of Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals (GO4SDGs), UNEP The Sustainable Development Goals of relevance to SMEs and the opportunities for their implementation through global and national policies

3. Cosima Stahr, South-Asia Expert, EU-SWITCH-Asia SCP Facility Challenges and opportunities for green finance in support to SMEs, a perspective from regional and global investment financial institutions

4. Julie Godin, European Liaison Officer, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Mainstreaming of entrepreneurship in national green growth policies and funding opportunities

5. Bhairav Raja, Senior Manager, DAI’s Sustainable Business Group, Private sector engagement in small scale enterprises, innovative tools in access to finance in support to climate mitigation

11:50-12:00: Roundup and conclusions