Stories: New Ventures

With a new technique for reusing steam, a Chinese company helps industry save water and conserve energy.

Houses crudely constructed from sheets of cardboard and aluminum start to appear just south of the Mexico-United States border and stretch across the Mexican landscape. These homes, which are often overcrowded, unstable and made of dangerous materials, provide stark visual evidence of Mexico’s severe housing shortage.

A Mexican company uses microbes to reduce chemicals used in agriculture and water treatment.

A company selling refurbished photocopiers creates jobs while reducing electronic waste.

A renewable energy company provides clean electricity and job opportunities to India’s rural poor.

A company sourcing Brazil nuts creates both environmental benefits and solid profits.

Bringing clean energy to India’s rural poor consumers creates cascading economic and social benefits, in addition to profits.

This piece originally appeared in The Economic Times (India).

Is it possible to do good in the world while also making a profit? A growing group of investors, known as “impact investors”, believe that it is.

Kirsty Jenkinson talks about how New Ventures, WRI’s center for environmental entrepreneurship, helps environmentally-focused small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets compete in a global economy.