16 July 2018: The winners of the 2018 SEED Low Carbon Awards were announced on the sidelines of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in New York, US. The five winning enterprises focus on eco-inclusive waste management, energy and green technology in Colombia, India, Tanzania and Uganda.

SEED will support the winners with tailored advisory services that help with business and financial plan development, as well as marketing and promotional activities to scale up operations and provide replicable business cases. The winners join a network of more than 230 enterprises from 38 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America who have also received SEED Awards.

Promoting social and environmental enterprises is critical for communities where entrepreneurship drives sustainable development.

The five winning enterprises, selected from a pool of nearly 250 applications, are:

• Amazóniko, which focuses on green technologies in Colombia, offers a collaborative recycling web application that motivates users to recycle through a door-to-door collection service and rewards scheme. The programme helps formalize recyclables collection in collaboration with workers, and provides sustainable employment to the waste management sector. The enterprise contributes to implementation of SDGs 8 (decent work and economic growth), 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and 12 (responsible consumption and production).
• Corporación Acción Semilla, which focuses on waste and sanitation in Colombia, collects organic waste from the food service industry and landscaping services, and converts it into fertilizer for the agricultural activities of local smallholder farms. The enterprise charges clients a fee, and earns profits from the sale of crops and compost. The enterprise contributes to implementation of SDGs 8, 12 and 13 (climate action).
• Daily Dump, which focuses on waste and sanitation in India, enables urban households, communities and businesses to segregate and compost their waste, and increases awareness and responsibility for decentralized resource consumption and disposal. It contributes to implementation of SDGs 11, 12 and 13.
• EcoAct Tanzania, which focuses on waste and sanitation in Tanzania, uses environmentally friendly, energy-efficient plastic extrusion to upcycle plastic waste into durable, affordable plastic timbers for construction. The enterprise mitigates climate change by reducing plastic pollution, wood dependence and deforestation, and contributes to SDGs 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure), 12 and 13.
• Khainza Energy, which addresses energy in Uganda, produces methane from organic waste secured from farms and households, and distributes it in affordable, recyclable cylinders along with cooking appliances. Khainza Energy incorporates local women, farmers and youth along distribution channels, creating value for consumers and local communities. This project contributes to implementation of SDGs 5 (gender equality), 7 (affordable and clean energy) and 12.

The 2018 SEED Low Carbon Awards are supported by the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). SEED is based on the premise that promoting social and environmental enterprises is critical for communities where entrepreneurship drives sustainable development. The initiative recognizes innovative, inclusive and environmentally friendly start-ups in developing countries, provides them with business know-how support, and profiles them to encourage growth and sharing of experiences.

SEED was founded by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP, or UN Environment), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa. [2018 SEED Winners] [SEED Low Carbon Awards Website] [UNDP Press Release] [UN Environment Press Release]