The recent launch of a climate resilience strategy framework for Nelson Mandela Bay highlighted that the transition to a low carbon economy for the future holds a plethora of opportunities for green entrepreneurship that can be kick-started now.
In the dialogue and panel discussion around what it will take to create a climate-resilient metro, and what climate resilience will look like, it was clear that many businesses are not ready to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
This is not only in terms of issues such as a business becoming more energy- and water-efficient, using more renewable energy and/or harvesting rainwater, or improving preparedness for extreme weather such as flooding, but also in business being ready to respond to legislative changes affecting, for example, food production, energy use and generation, and transport and mobility.
These include SA’s Climate Change Act, a comprehensive statutory framework for how the country will act to mitigate the impacts of climate change and move to a low carbon economy.
Parts of this Act became law just last week with proclamation of certain sections by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Business must also rapidly respond to global shifts in environment-related legislation and policies on trade and tariffs, such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism that raises tariffs on carbon-intensive imports and aims to encourage cleaner industrial production in non-EU countries.
At the same time, markets and consumer sentiment are shifting.
Younger consumers are acutely environmentally aware and are demanding greener, sustainably produced goods with transparent traceability.
These factors create opportunities to service these business needs and an environment ripe for innovation and entrepreneurship that will drive the transition to a low carbon economy and sustainable job creation.
The opportunities span sectors from construction, manufacturing and agriculture and agro-processing to services and technology development — creating new businesses and jobs that harness our strengths and replace industries in decline.
Some of these are perhaps more obvious — we see increasing numbers of businesses in the renewable energy and water conservation space, fitting solar systems, selling water tanks and so on.
Clearing of alien vegetation and conversion to biomass for energy generation or making furniture, businesses in waste reduction and recycling, are some further existing examples.
But the green entrepreneurship thinking goes beyond this — into opportunities such as green building conversions, disaster preparedness services, flood-proofing of premises, services to support sustainable farming and food security, training and skills development to support a low carbon economy, and initiatives to develop a circular economy.
It is not only about what we might traditionally consider “eco-friendly” business such as upcycling or repurposing waste, but extends into manufacturing and technology too — take the technology innovations that have reduced the carbon intensity of cement production processes and enabled manufacturing of “green cement”.
A great example is an initiative in the Belgian town of Leuven, featured in The Guardian last week, where the drive to become carbon neutral and reduce consumption and waste of materials has created the new industry of “urban mining”.
The Materialenbank (materials bank) works with the city council to “mine” buildings that have been identified for demolition to create more green spaces or improve public transport routes, salvaging building materials that can be used like-for-like in new construction projects or repurposed if no longer safe or suitable in building.
The bank has created employment for the “miners”, offers workshop space for local craftspeople and entrepreneurs to manufacture products from the reusable materials, and links the suppliers of salvaged building waste to purchasers such as property developers and builders.
An initiative such as this requires government support, development of partnerships and collaboration, and shifting consumption patterns and mindsets around waste, but is clearly doable.
The new generation of environmentally conscious and technology-orientated consumers who demand greener products can become the green innovators and entrepreneurs who turn their demands into business opportunities, and will determine what kind of skills a new green economy will need.
This is not only about developing small businesses — if they’re meeting a market demand, there is opportunity for growth, and integration into the supply chains of big business which want to do business with responsible and innovative suppliers.
Green entrepreneurs can drive change towards sustainability and low carbon practices in big business by showing how they can improve or replace existing processes and products.
How to encourage green entrepreneurship?
Funding and development agencies such as the Industrial Development Corporation, Small Enterprise Finance Agency and Small Enterprise Development Agency, as well as private financial institutions and corporate enterprise development programmes need to incorporate “green thinking” into their policies and support criteria.
The business chamber’s Entrepreneurship Desk is a go-to for green entrepreneurs, offering a one-stop platform to access training, mentorship, networking, pro bono advisory services, and information on funding, development and business opportunities.
The world is ready for green innovation and sustainable manufacturing and technology.
The time is now for green entrepreneurs to capitalise on the diverse opportunities.
Kelvin Naidoo is manufacturing and technical director of Auto-X and acting president of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber
The Herald
Time is now for green entrepreneurs to seize diverse opportunities
The recent launch of a climate resilience strategy framework for Nelson Mandela Bay highlighted that the transition to a low carbon economy for the future holds a plethora of opportunities for green entrepreneurship that can be kick-started now.
In the dialogue and panel discussion around what it will take to create a climate-resilient metro, and what climate resilience will look like, it was clear that many businesses are not ready to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
This is not only in terms of issues such as a business becoming more energy- and water-efficient, using more renewable energy and/or harvesting rainwater, or improving preparedness for extreme weather such as flooding, but also in business being ready to respond to legislative changes affecting, for example, food production, energy use and generation, and transport and mobility.
These include SA’s Climate Change Act, a comprehensive statutory framework for how the country will act to mitigate the impacts of climate change and move to a low carbon economy.
Parts of this Act became law just last week with proclamation of certain sections by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Business must also rapidly respond to global shifts in environment-related legislation and policies on trade and tariffs, such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism that raises tariffs on carbon-intensive imports and aims to encourage cleaner industrial production in non-EU countries.
At the same time, markets and consumer sentiment are shifting.
Younger consumers are acutely environmentally aware and are demanding greener, sustainably produced goods with transparent traceability.
These factors create opportunities to service these business needs and an environment ripe for innovation and entrepreneurship that will drive the transition to a low carbon economy and sustainable job creation.
The opportunities span sectors from construction, manufacturing and agriculture and agro-processing to services and technology development — creating new businesses and jobs that harness our strengths and replace industries in decline.
Some of these are perhaps more obvious — we see increasing numbers of businesses in the renewable energy and water conservation space, fitting solar systems, selling water tanks and so on.
Clearing of alien vegetation and conversion to biomass for energy generation or making furniture, businesses in waste reduction and recycling, are some further existing examples.
But the green entrepreneurship thinking goes beyond this — into opportunities such as green building conversions, disaster preparedness services, flood-proofing of premises, services to support sustainable farming and food security, training and skills development to support a low carbon economy, and initiatives to develop a circular economy.
It is not only about what we might traditionally consider “eco-friendly” business such as upcycling or repurposing waste, but extends into manufacturing and technology too — take the technology innovations that have reduced the carbon intensity of cement production processes and enabled manufacturing of “green cement”.
A great example is an initiative in the Belgian town of Leuven, featured in The Guardian last week, where the drive to become carbon neutral and reduce consumption and waste of materials has created the new industry of “urban mining”.
The Materialenbank (materials bank) works with the city council to “mine” buildings that have been identified for demolition to create more green spaces or improve public transport routes, salvaging building materials that can be used like-for-like in new construction projects or repurposed if no longer safe or suitable in building.
The bank has created employment for the “miners”, offers workshop space for local craftspeople and entrepreneurs to manufacture products from the reusable materials, and links the suppliers of salvaged building waste to purchasers such as property developers and builders.
An initiative such as this requires government support, development of partnerships and collaboration, and shifting consumption patterns and mindsets around waste, but is clearly doable.
The new generation of environmentally conscious and technology-orientated consumers who demand greener products can become the green innovators and entrepreneurs who turn their demands into business opportunities, and will determine what kind of skills a new green economy will need.
This is not only about developing small businesses — if they’re meeting a market demand, there is opportunity for growth, and integration into the supply chains of big business which want to do business with responsible and innovative suppliers.
Green entrepreneurs can drive change towards sustainability and low carbon practices in big business by showing how they can improve or replace existing processes and products.
How to encourage green entrepreneurship?
Funding and development agencies such as the Industrial Development Corporation, Small Enterprise Finance Agency and Small Enterprise Development Agency, as well as private financial institutions and corporate enterprise development programmes need to incorporate “green thinking” into their policies and support criteria.
The business chamber’s Entrepreneurship Desk is a go-to for green entrepreneurs, offering a one-stop platform to access training, mentorship, networking, pro bono advisory services, and information on funding, development and business opportunities.
The world is ready for green innovation and sustainable manufacturing and technology.
The time is now for green entrepreneurs to capitalise on the diverse opportunities.
Kelvin Naidoo is manufacturing and technical director of Auto-X and acting president of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber
The Herald
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