17 Organizations Using Business for
MORE THAN PROFIT
MORE THAN PROFIT
Find your inspiration by exploring the 17 organizations selected to receive the inaugural Flourish Prizes at the Fourth Global Forum for Business as an Agent of World Benefit, on June 14-16 at Case Western Reserve University.
TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS
Company: The Sunshine Nut Company
Location: Mozambique
Transforming Lives Through Sustainable Business
The Sunshine Nut Company employs young men and women who were abandoned or orphaned in their youth due to years of civil war. Thirty-five Mozambicans have been promoted to manager and supervisor positions, and locals are hired to shell the nuts. The Sunshine Nut Company sources cashews from area farmers and reinvests 90% of profits back into the community to improve lives.
AFFORDABLE ORGANIC RICE FOR EVERYONE
Company: CV. Green Health Agriculture
Location: Indonesia
Proving that organic and healthy products don’t have to be costly, CV. Green Health Agriculture provides affordable organic rice to consumers, improves farmers' welfare, and promotes sustainable organic farming techniques through their breakthrough business model. Instead of owning land to grow its rice, CV. Green Health Agriculture partners with Indonesian land owners and farmers with a beneficial profit sharing scheme.
AN IRONCLAD SOLUTION
Company: Lucky Iron Fish
Location: Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Facing iron deficiency head on, Lucky Iron Fish delivers a simple solution to combat anemia in Cambodia and around the world. Dr. Gavin Armstrong’s Lucky Iron Fish is a carefully formulated iron ingot that releases a significant portion of a person's essential daily iron requirements when boiled with a meal for 10 minutes.
UNFOLDING CURIOSITY WITH A $1 MICROSCOPE
Company: Foldscope Instruments
Location: California, U.S., Used Worldwide
From the belief that science should be accessible to anyone, Foldscope Instruments invented a $1 paper microscope. Now, students around the world – regardless of a school’s budget – have greater access to essential equipment, and researchers are empowered to do explore in remote areas without the bulk, expense, or extensive maintenance of other microscopes.
THE JOURNEY OF CHANGING LIVES
Company: Serve&Help
Location: Casablanca, Grand Casablanca, Morocco
Serving as a powerful platform for women in Morocco, Serve&Help acts as an intermediary between marginalized women looking for a job and affluent customers who need quality household services. Serve&Help works to provide the women with a stable income, and seeks to dispel the stereotypes many Moroccan people have of marginalized women to restore the womens’ image and self-esteem.
DRIVING CHANGE THROUGH WATER CONSERVATION & NATURAL SYSTEMS
Company: SmartPaani
Location: Nepal
Tackling the water crisis in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, SmartPaani uses technological innovations to gather, harvest, and filter rainwater, making it safe to drink. SmartPaani also provides wastewater treatment and recycling solutions, reducing pollution in nearby bodies of water and demand from the municipal or groundwater supply.
LIGHT FOR EVERYONE
Company: d.Light
Location: San Francisco, U.S.
d.Light Company is empowering people around the world who don’t have electricity with a safe alternative source of energy that produces light. d.Light’s affordable, solar-powered innovation provides light at night for households and small businesses without access to a power grid, transforming the lives in disadvantaged regions across the globe.
WHERE DISABILITY IS A LABOR COMPETENCE
Company: CINIA
Location: Puebla, Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, México
CINIA is dedicated to helping people with various physical, mental, and elderly disabilities become independent and productive members of society. By partnering with socially responsible companies who wish to integrate people with disabilities into their organizations, CINIA hires and trains people 18 years or older who are self-sufficient in their mobility in a variety of skills and fills an organization’s vacancy with one of their employees.
UNITING PEOPLE THROUGH LAND
Company: BIOCONEXIÓN
Location: Jujuy, Argentina
Through a system called committed seeding, BIOCONEXIÓN connects farmers growing native crops with eager customers for economic, social, and environmental benefits, as well as delicious food. BIOCONEXIÓN also provides local farmers trying to resume agricultural work with environmental and social commitment information – such as promoting sustainable practices like dehydrating products with solar collectors to avoid food waste.
LOW-COST STRATEGY FOR HIGH-COST DRUGS
Company: Cipla Ltd.
Location: India
To fight HIV/ AIDS in the developing world, Cipla developed the world’s first 3-in-1 anti-HIV/AIDS recommended fixed dose combination. This has brought the cost of treatment to less than $1 a day and provides millions of people with life-saving therapy.
RECYCLED MATERIAL CONVERTED IN HOUSING
Company: Conceptos Plásticos
Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Alleviating the negative environmental impact of plastic, Conceptos Plásticos transforms discarded plastic into an alternative, Lego-like block material and builds affordable, fire- and earthquake-resistant homes. This helps Colombian families improve the quality of their lives.
THE ALCHEMY OF BIO DEGRADABLE PLASTIC FOR A GREENER WORLD
Company: Greenhope
Location: Indonesia
While traditional plastic takes 500 years to degrade, Greenhope had a vision for a sustainable plastic solution and invented a biodegradable polymer made from locally farmed cassava. Greenhope’s innovation supports smallholder farmers and reduces landfill waste with supermarket bags that biodegrade in sunlight in just weeks.
SERVING ENERGY CUSTOMERS WITH POWER DISTRIBUTION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID
Company: Gram Power
Location: India
Through an alternative business model, Gram Power is addressing electrification issues in developing nations. Using cutting-edge Smart Grid technologies, Gram Power couples “smart meters” with solar-powered microgrids to bring clean, reliable, and affordable energy to low-income people in India.
CLEANING OCEANS WITH SKATEBOARDS & SUNGLASSES
Company: Bureo
Location: Santiago, Chile
Bureo recycles plastic waste from the ocean into skateboards and sunglasses, designed with inspiration from sea creatures. They use the cradle-to-cradle life cycle and have a net positive use of water and energy, which led to their certification by the Living Future Institute.
REDUCING COSTS AND TRIPLING CROPS
Company: SunCulture
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
SunCulture provides poor farmers with a solar-powered water pump, empowering them to increase their annual crop yield with a lasting solution. They can pay off their solar irrigation kit in two years rather than spending $200 per month on petrol pump fuel.
BUILDING PEACE FOR THE LOVE OF ICE CREAM
Company: Buza Ice Cream
Location: Israel
Making peace through business and displaying commonality over conflict, Buza – modified from the Arabic word for ice cream, "Bouza" – is a business run by an Arab and a Jew in a country where most people see the other side as an enemy. Buza employs people from both societies, contributing to the flourishing and peace of their communities.
SOLAR LIGHTS FOR WOMEN
Company: MPOWERD
Location: Kenya, Africa
With a mission to help people around the world who are living without electricity, MPOWERD partnered with two non-profits: New Course and Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT) to help women in Kenya become independent and rise from poverty by selling solar lanterns for $10.
OUR MISSION
Change the story about from best in the world, to best for the world.
AIM2Flourish connects students with business leaders to discover and learn about innovations that do good and do well.
TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS
Company: The Sunshine Nut Company
Location: Mozambique, Morocco
Transforming Lives Through Sustainable Business
The Sunshine Nut Company employs young men and women who were abandoned or orphaned in their youth due to years of civil war. Thirty-five Mozambicans have been promoted to manager and supervisor positions, and locals are hired to shell the nuts. The Sunshine Nut Company sources cashews from area farmers and reinvests 90% of profits back into the community to improve lives.
AFFORDABLE ORGANIC RICE FOR EVERYONE
Company: CV. Green Health Agriculture
Location: Indonesia
Proving that organic and healthy products don’t have to be costly, CV. Green Health Agriculture provides affordable organic rice to consumers, improves farmers' welfare, and promotes sustainable organic farming techniques through their breakthrough business model. Instead of owning land to grow its rice, CV. Green Health Agriculture partners with Indonesian land owners and farmers with a beneficial profit sharing scheme.
AN IRONCLAD SOLUTION
Company: Lucky Iron Fish
Location: Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Facing iron deficiency head on, Lucky Iron Fish delivers a simple solution to combat anemia in Cambodia and around the world. Dr. Gavin Armstrong’s Lucky Iron Fish is a carefully formulated iron ingot that releases a significant portion of a person's essential daily iron requirements when boiled with a meal for 10 minutes.
UNFOLDING CURIOSITY WITH A $1 MICROSCOPE
Company: Foldscope Instruments
Location: California, U.S., Used Worldwide
From the belief that science should be accessible to anyone, Foldscope Instruments invented a $1 paper microscope. Now, students around the world – regardless of a school’s budget – have greater access to essential equipment, and researchers are empowered to do explore in remote areas without the bulk, expense, or extensive maintenance of other microscopes.
THE JOURNEY OF CHANGING LIVES
Company: Serve&Help
Location: Casablanca, Grand Casablanca, Morocco
Serving as a powerful platform for women in Morocco, Serve&Help acts as an intermediary between marginalized women looking for a job and affluent customers who need quality household services. Serve&Help works to provide the women with a stable income, and seeks to dispel the stereotypes many Moroccan people have of marginalized women to restore the womens’ image and self-esteem.
DRIVING CHANGE THROUGH WATER CONSERVATION & NATURAL SYSTEMS
Company: SmartPaani
Location: Nepal
Tackling the water crisis in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, SmartPaani uses technological innovations to gather, harvest, and filter rainwater, making it safe to drink. SmartPaani also provides wastewater treatment and recycling solutions, reducing pollution in nearby bodies of water and demand from the municipal or groundwater supply.
LIGHT FOR EVERYONE
Company: d.Light
Location: San Francisco, U.S.
d.Light Company is empowering people around the world who don’t have electricity with a safe alternative source of energy that produces light. d.Light’s affordable, solar-powered innovation provides light at night for households and small businesses without access to a power grid, transforming the lives in disadvantaged regions across the globe.
WHERE DISABILITY IS A LABOR COMPETENCE
Company: CINIA
Location: Puebla, Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, México
CINIA is dedicated to helping people with various physical, mental, and elderly disabilities become independent and productive members of society. By partnering with socially responsible companies who wish to integrate people with disabilities into their organizations, CINIA hires and trains people 18 years or older who are self-sufficient in their mobility in a variety of skills and fills an organization’s vacancy with one of their employees.
UNITING PEOPLE THROUGH LAND
Company: BIOCONEXIÓN
Location: Jujuy, Argentina
Through a system called committed seeding, BIOCONEXIÓN connects farmers growing native crops with eager customers for economic, social, and environmental benefits, as well as delicious food. BIOCONEXIÓN also provides local farmers trying to resume agricultural work with environmental and social commitment information – such as promoting sustainable practices like dehydrating products with solar collectors to avoid food waste.
LOW-COST STRATEGY FOR HIGH-COST DRUGS
Company: Cipla Ltd.
Location: India
To fight HIV/ AIDS in the developing world, Cipla developed the world’s first 3-in-1 anti-HIV/AIDS recommended fixed dose combination. This has brought the cost of treatment to less than $1 a day and provides millions of people with life-saving therapy.
RECYCLED MATERIAL CONVERTED IN HOUSING
Company: Conceptos Plásticos
Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Alleviating the negative environmental impact of plastic, Conceptos Plásticos transforms discarded plastic into an alternative, Lego-like block material and builds affordable, fire- and earthquake-resistant homes. This helps Colombian families improve the quality of their lives.
THE ALCHEMY OF BIO DEGRADABLE PLASTIC FOR A GREENER WORLD
Company: Greenhope
Location: Indonesia
While traditional plastic takes 500 years to degrade, Greenhope had a vision for a sustainable plastic solution and invented a biodegradable polymer made from locally farmed cassava. Greenhope’s innovation supports smallholder farmers and reduces landfill waste with supermarket bags that biodegrade in sunlight in just weeks.
SERVING ENERGY CUSTOMERS WITH POWER DISTRIBUTION AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID
Company: Gram Power
Location: India
Through an alternative business model, Gram Power is addressing electrification issues in developing nations. Using cutting-edge Smart Grid technologies, Gram Power couples “smart meters” with solar-powered microgrids to bring clean, reliable, and affordable energy to low-income people in India.
CLEANING OCEANS WITH SKATEBOARDS & SUNGLASSES
Company: Bureo
Location: Santiago, Chile
Bureo recycles plastic waste from the ocean into skateboards and sunglasses, designed with inspiration from sea creatures. They use the cradle-to-cradle life cycle and have a net positive use of water and energy, which led to their certification by the Living Future Institute.
REDUCING COSTS AND TRIPLING CROPS
Company: SunCulture
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
SunCulture provides poor farmers with a solar-powered water pump, empowering them to increase their annual crop yield with a lasting solution. They can pay off their solar irrigation kit in two years rather than spending $200 per month on petrol pump fuel.
BUILDING PEACE FOR THE LOVE OF ICE CREAM
Company: Buza Ice Cream
Location: Israel
Making peace through business and displaying commonality over conflict, Buza – modified from the Arabic word for ice cream, "Bouza" – is a business run by an Arab and a Jew in a country where most people see the other side as an enemy. Buza employs people from both societies, contributing to the flourishing and peace of their communities.
SOLAR LIGHTS FOR WOMEN
Company: MPOWERD
Location: Kenya, Africa
With a mission to help people around the world who are living without electricity, MPOWERD partnered with two non-profits: New Course and Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT) to help women in Kenya become independent and rise from poverty by selling solar lanterns for $10.
OUR MISSION
Change the story about from best in the world, to best for the world.
AIM2Flourish connects students with business leaders to discover and learn about innovations that do good and do well.
Ready to discover, design, and strategize around your own high priority initiative?
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HOW CAN YOU MAKE AN IMPACT BY USING BUSINESS FOR MORE THAN PROFIT?
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