Most social enterprises agree that sales, together with access to finance and distribution are the key issues they face, together with access to finance and talent. In this SF report we share the findings from our work with leading social enterprises to build sustainable rural value chains in the off-grid energy sector over the last…
When Shell Foundation was created in 2000, we set out to test a theory, largely unproven at the time, that market forces could be directed to deliver lasting socio-economic, health and environmental value to low-income communities – and that eradicating many of the world’s most entrenched development challenges could be financed predominantly from private capital.…
Nearly two billion people lack access to reliable and affordable modern energy – severely constraining their health, education and earning potential. Of this group, 60% live entirely without electricity for cooking, lighting and heating at home, for community services, or for improving the productivity of small businesses and farms. Accelerating Access to Energy outlines our…
Social Marketing in India captures our experiences, both good and bad, over several years of running social marketing campaigns to drive adoption of improved cookstoves; and the broader lessons we have drawn for marketing social-impact products more generally. Download the report (pdf, 2.6mb)
The issue of sustainable mobility in rapidly growing cities is now beginning to take centre stage as a major obstacle to sustainable economic development. Rapid urbanisation has led to levels of congestion and pollution that severely impair the economic prospects of cities and the health and wellbeing of the people that live there. In addition,…
We have learned a lot about trying to achieve scale and sustainability over the past decade. We set about doing this in ways that were new at the time by pioneering an enterprise-based approach. We concentrated our efforts on tackling social and environmental issues in which the energy industry has a particular responsibility. We also…
In 2005 the confluence of advocacy, political serendipity and natural disaster has rapidly pushed the plight of the impoverished up the agenda of the wealthy as never before. The sharpness of the challenge being thrown down on behalf of the poor and the pressure on the rich to take action in response is unprecedented, as…