The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are universal, interconnected and exponential in nature.

They present a roadmap for creating systemic financial, social and environmental value. Achieving the
SDGs by 2030 has the potential to not only generate peace and shared prosperity on a healthy planet,
but also opens up USD $12 trillion in market opportunities. Exponential goals require transformational
solutions that go beyond incremental innovation. Companies need to raise their sustainability ambitions
and act decisively to: 1) adopt new mindsets, 2) build and trial new business models, and 3) develop and
deploy disruptive technologies. These actions are how we define “breakthrough innovation,” and will
position companies to overcome market disruptions and pursue growth opportunities, while at the
same time helping to reverse global warming and radically improve lives.

The Global Challenges are systemic, complex problems with many interdependencies. As a result
successful innovations that address these challenges must harness two other innovation drivers:

Use of Data and Technology to create new insight and the information needed to enable individuals,
businesses and Governments to make Smarter decisions.

Leverage Collaborations by securing the buy-and commitment of stakeholders interested in each goal.
Innovation to meet the goals requires formation of motivated multi-agency and multi-disciplinary teams
to accelerate the implementation of smarter solutions.

By 2050, the global population is forecast to reach 9 billion. The addition of 2 billion people in the next
three decades is catalysing an urgent need for new innovations that are able to address a number of
inter-related global challenges that are impacting governments, businesses and individuals. These
challenges relate to our most basic physiological needs and are happening just as some traditional tools
for meeting these needs are becoming less effective or are facing increasing demands. For example:

 Cities – more than half of the world’s populations live in cities creating growing demands for
sustainable infrastructure
 Climate – with 16 of the 17 warmest years on record occurring since 2001 (according to NASA)
 Energy – traditional fossil energy sources are harder to extract and their consumption is
damaging air quality and affecting the global climate.
 Food – chemicals used to maintain agricultural productivity are becoming less effective and the
demand for food rises
 Health – bacteria once controlled with antibiotics are becoming resistant.
 Water – over 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion lack adequate
sanitation
 Biodiversity – global species loss is accelerating with attendant growing risks to vital ecosystems

RGS Nordic is developing a digital platform that enables carriers to optimise the use of the
many trucks visiting the company’s more than 35 receiving and handling facilities in Scandinavia
every day. The solution will significantly reduce the number of empty trucks and, consequently,
CO2 and particle emissions. In the long term, the solution will be a best practice example of
how sharing of transport data and cooperation between different industry actors can
significantly reduce freight on European roads for the good of businesses, the environment and
for people.
DESMI is taking on new, smarter solutions to put a stop to ocean pollution. They are developing
equipment that can be used for cleaning some of the world’s most polluted rivers and the
solution will stop plastic waste from flowing into the oceans from where it is even more difficult
to restrain.

Specific SDG Products/Services

GOAL 1: No Poverty
22. Microfinance platform (could be combined with securitization
mechanisms)

23. Native-language entrepreneurship and financial education platform

GOAL 2: Zero Hunger

24. Aquaponics farms in urban locations to sell vegetables

25. Agtech sensors to monitor crops and improve yields

26. Native-language agricultural education platform

GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being

27. Micro-insurance for basic health services

28. Mental health monitoring app

29. Public health research, education, and data analysis platform

GOAL 4: Quality Education

30. Online courses that relate to other SDGs

31. Mentor network for people working on SDGs

GOAL 5: Gender Equality
32. Training program for women who aspire to become entrepreneurs

33. Mentor network for women in specific sectors

34. Platforms and technologies to reduce hiring biases

GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

35. Sensors for water pollutants and leakages

36. Technologies to reduce water usage in the agriculture and energy sectors

37. Human waste recycling

GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

38. Solar-powered lamps and devices

39. Technologies to reduce dependencies on expensive inputs for energy

production

40. High-frequency energy trading (increases market efficiency)

GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

41. Finance and tech career preparation programs

42. Entrepreneurship training programs

43. Economic development data collection, analysis, and/or policy design

GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

44. Manufacturing software
45. 3D printing

46. Designing new reusable construction materials

GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality

47. Training entrepreneurs in emerging markets

48. Training workers in emerging markets for finance and tech jobs

49. Advising emerging market governments on empowering their populations

GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

50. Adaptive reuse architecture or construction

51. Smart city data collection, analysis, and/or policy design

52. Sustainable small business ownership (e.g. coffee shop)

GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

53. E-commerce with sustainable and fair trade supply chains

54. Consumer education platform on product supply chains and SDG

alignment

GOAL 13: Climate Action

55. Forecasting the impacts of climate change on businesses and governments

56. Calculating businesses’ impacts on the climate and advising impact

investors

57. Ride-sharing platform

58. Bike-sharing platform

GOAL 14: Life Below Water
59. Harvesting and selling invasive species

60. Sensors and technologies to prevent ocean pollution (e.g. oil spills)

GOAL 15: Life on Land

61. Nature tours (e.g. safaris)

62. Free-range animal farming

GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions

63. Government accountability platforms

64. Platform/consultancy analyzing ESG risk factors in regions around the

world

GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goals

65. See Social Sector Network

1. BAHRAIN (SDG 9): Paperless – E-receipts that cut down on paper waste

2. BALI (SDG 12): Niskala – Educate and reduce waste generated from religious
festivals that are a large contributor to the severe waste issues Indonesia is
suffering with

3. CHANDIGARH (SDG 9): Help aid the education of blind children with a paperless
Braille tablet

4. GENEVA (SDG 12): 24/7 – Access to Antiretroviral Treatment for people on the
move

5. LAGOS (SDG 9): Smart Transit – A culturally appropriate app to tackle poor
transit in Nigeria by offering local transport information in real time

6. LISBON (SDG 9): Lettuce Grow – An app that connects small scale farmers
directly with consumers to boost agricultural industry and local economy
 7. LONDON (SDG 9): eQuality – A system that allows shoppers to educate
themselves around the ethical, political & environmental impact of their product
purchases

8. NEW YORK (SDG 12): Kindred – The world’s first closed-loop marketplace for
sustainable garments.

9. RIO DE JANEIRO (SDG 10): Jardim DigitaL – An app that connects refugees
with jobs open and available to them by fair and honest employers .

1. Groundswell
Groundswell is an enterprise that encourages consumers to use their power for good.
They address the rising cost of necessary expenses, like energy, and the falling costs of
luxury items, like iPods. Through what Groundswellers call “Civic Consumption,”
consumers can use their money to support responsible businesses, save money, and
promote local wealth. They do this by bringing people and organizations together for
purchases, making things like renewable energy cheaper and accessible to more
families. Help the environment and help yourself? Win-win.

2. Compreneurship
Compreneurship unites students and disadvantaged people to develop and execute
entrepreneurial projects. In a recent project, students studying design, journalism, and
business joined up with local homeless people to create and distribute an original
newspaper. Disadvantaged street vendors who distributed the papers earned a
whopping 150,000 euros. Basically, Compreneurship puts student projects to valuable,
real-life use.

3. Arsenic Absorbent
Professor and Fulbright-Nehru scholar Arup SenGupta is researching his way to a
solution for clean, safe drinking water around the world. if you don’t think arsenic
poisoning is a serious problem anymore, consider the 140 million people who’ve been
affected by it. From India to the US, eight countries have experienced reduced rates of
arsenic poisoning since SenGupta developed the first reusable arsenic absorbent.

4. Biolite
Biolite is a start-up that uses thermoelectric technology to make wood-burning stoves
clean and safe. Amazingly, the mini stoves also charge cell phones and LED lights.
Biolite has worked to create efficient energy with clients like Johnson & Johnson,
Hewlett Packard, and Nike. These compact, affordable stoves make cooking easier- not
only for frequent campers, but for families in 3rd world countries as well.

5. TCK Learning Centre

The TCK Learning Centre offers low-cost education to low-income migrant workers in
Hong Kong. The Centre offers English, technology, and reading courses for young maids
and others migrant workers that have a desire to learn and improve their career
opportunities. They also offer a variety of workshops on topics like music, bookkeeping,
and video editing to students who would not otherwise be able to afford it.

6. Voidstarter
Voidstarter is an enterprise that converts vacant housing units in Dublin into short-term
learning centers and entrepreneur labs. Instead of going to waste as usual, these
unoccupied units are used to provide shelter for the homeless, give new entrepreneurs a
place to get started, and teach unemployed people new skills. Voidstarter is essentially
utilizing wasted space to help those in need generate wealth and gain independence.

7. The Jamble
The Jamble connects collaborators who want to participate in projects or make their
ideas a reality. This much-needed online community is perfect for those with start-up
ideas who need collaborators with various sets of expertise beyond their own. The
Jamble allows users to search for projects or collaborators, enabling brilliant ideas to
take shape in the real world.

8. Swipes for the Homeless

Swipes for the Homeless is an organization founded by college students who wanted
to give back to their community. Now, Swipes has grown to include multiple US colleges
including Berkley, UCLA, and Northwestern University. Students have the opportunity
to donate their leftover meal plan points to local homeless people. Since its inception,
Swipes has donated 330,000 pounds of food.

9. Task Squad
Task Squad has created a novel incentive to volunteer: money. Volunteers ages 18-25
can sign onto Task Squad and search for temporary work from organizations and start-
ups who post job assignments. Not only does the service reward and encourage
volunteering, it provides quality work experience and resume builders for young people
who need it.

10. Terracycle
Terracycle is a company that is changing the future of recycling, making it easier to
recycle difficult items like chip bags, toothbrushes, and drink pouches. They use
Brigades, or collection programs, to collect different kinds of waste. Customers can ship
waste directly to the company and gain credits, which can be redeemed for cash or
directed towards the nonprofit of their choice.

Do any of these innovative social enterprise ideas get your brain churning? Head over to
the EntrepreneursToolkit and find out how you can start your own enterprise and
become part of a global solution.

1. Pirika
Pirika leverages technology to clean our streets and tackle the environmental crisis (Photo: Charitsumo)

Pirika is an IT startup using technology to clean the streets and

end the litter crisis. Originating from the research labs of Kyoto
University, the team has developed the world’s most widely used
anti-litter smartphone app, boasting over 800,000 users across 85
countries. Since its inception, 100 million pieces of litter have been
picked up via the app. They also offer litter research and analysis
services, as well as microplastics monitoring devices.

2. Alon Alon
Alon Alon employs People with Disabilities to grow, look after and package orchids (Photo: Mill
Magazine)

People with Disabilities often face challenges finding work in

Japan, and many jobs that are available are underpaid and menial;
according to a Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare survey in
2015, the average monthly income for a Person with Disabilities is
15,033 yen (approx. $140 USD). Alon Alon employs young People
with Disabilities to grow orchids (yes — the orchid market is
significant in Japan), providing them with meaningful,
stimulating, and well-paid work.

3. Mother House
Stylish, ethical bags made in low-income countries in Asia by Mother House (Photo: Mother House)
Established in 2006, Mother House designs and manufactures
ethical bags and fashion accessories in countries including
Bangladesh and Nepal. The company uses local materials and pays
up to double the average local wage to its workers. Employees are
offered benefits like medical check-ups, meals, compensation for
overtime work and company trips. Motherhouse now has 21 stores
across Japan, as well as stores in Taiwan, Hong Kong and
Singapore.

4. CarePro
CarePro offers affordable, on-the-spot health checks around the country (Photo: Tokutei Kenshin)

Every year, there are over 30 million people across the country
who do not receive medical check-ups due to a lack of time and/or
money; many of those are self-employed, NEETs or from low-
income households. CarePro offers young people “One Coin” (500
yen, or $4.50 USD), on-the-spot health checks to fill that gap. The
company has reached over 300,000 people through its low-cost,
innovative health services by setting up small shops in train
stations, shopping centres and other places with high foot traffic.

5. MyFarm
MyFarm develops the next generation of farmers and promotes organic farming across Japan
(Photo: My Farm)

One of Japan’s major challenges is the lack of young workers in

primary industries such as agriculture. Founded in 2007, MyFarm
Inc makes effective use of farmland, encourages young people to
get their hands dirty, and promotes organic farming across Japan.
The company now has over 100 farms nationwide and thousands
have graduated from its “Agri-Innovation” academy, equipped
with skills to start their own pesticide-free farms and become the
next generation of agri-leaders.
These are just a small selection of pioneering social enterprises
that are changing the way we perceive “doing good” and
encouraging discussion around the role of business in addressing
systemic societal challenges.

As Japan continues to face complex social and environmental

problems, such as its ageing population and impacts from a
changing climate, the social entrepreneurship scene is bound to
continue its growth trajectory and rise to the challenge.