News Archive 2008
February 2008
09.02.08 - UNEP publication 'Towards Triple Impact - Toolbox for Analysing Sustainable Ventures in Developing Countries' is now available for download.
Together with the United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP) Branch for Sustainable Consumption and Production, Christina Gradl, Marin Herrndorf and Aline Krämer developed a set of analytical tools for sustainable ventures.
Sustainable ventures can make a significant contribution to poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability. These business initiatives and activities improve human well-being and the environment on a profitable basis (people, planet, profit), contributing to decoupling economic growth and improvements in well-being from natural resource use.
Developing and managing sustainable ventures is a challenge. Key questions related to the identification of opportunities, the understanding of the determinants of success and the assessment of costs and benefits appear repeatedly. This document introduces a toolbox that helps to answer such questions. It addresses initiatives that support sustainable ventures including donor programmes, award schemes, private and public investors, professional education programs and policy makers. They can use the tools to systematically identify, evaluate, advise, and promote sustainable ventures.
The publication is available for download
04.02.08 - Christina Gradl presented findings from a case study on a pro-poor medical technology project in India during a discussion on the UN Global Compact at Free University Berlin.
As part of its activities as an academic member of the UN Global Compact, Freie Universitt Berlin has started a lecture series to discuss issues concerning global governance, corporate responsibility and sustainability with researchers, students and practitioners. In first event of the series, Christina Gradl and Oliver Ziegler presented findings from their studies on inclusive business models and motivations to join the Compact, respectively. Christina Gradl provided insights into a case study on a training program for gynaecologists in India, which is being implemented by German medical technology company Karl Storz and GTZ. The study shows that private companies are able to invest into public goods, such as education, if they can expect to benefit from the investment.
The presentation is available for download.
An article on the event has been published on the university's website.