Collaborating with the World Resource Institute - New Ventures

About the Project

After seven years of operations, the World Resource Institute’s (WRI) New Ventures is launching a sustainability reporting pilot project to better understand the social and environmental impacts of 11 selected companies from their global portfolio.  Over the next few months these companies will work with WRI staff and experienced consultants to design and implement a practical report that will examine each company’s operations, products, community engagement and governance. 

The WRI project "New Ventures" supports sustainable enterprises by accelerating the transfer of capital to outstanding companies that incorporate social and environmental benefits.  By providing sound investment opportunities in emerging economies, New Ventures demonstrates that investing in sustainable enterprises makes good business sense. New Ventures assists sustainable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets in improving their business plans and strategies, leading to company growth and investment. New Ventures selects SMEs in fast-growth, environmental sectors such as ecotourism, non-timber forest products and certified wood, organic foods and fibers, renewable energy, sustainable fisheries management, and clean technologies. These SMEs are seeking capital in the range of $100,000 to $5 million. The program matches entrepreneurs with executive mentors and consultants and teams of graduate business students (MBA) to improve the enterprise's business plan to present at a New Ventures Investor Forum.

Goals

Currently 11 SMEs are working with WRI staff and consultants to design and implement a practical sustainability report that will examine each company's operations, products, community engagement and governance. The participating SMEs are located in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico.

To ensure a manageable, replicable self-reporting mechanism, the reporting process will draw heavily on the GRI Reporting Framework and the Learning & Services methodology of the new GRI SME Handbook. The final product will be one sustainability report per company that will enable the enterprise to improve its operations and use its resources more efficiently, as well as serving as a communication tool to better manage internal systems and attract new clients and customers.  In addition, the companies will receive specialized attention from New Ventures to communicate the results to multinationals (potential buyers) and investors.

Visit the New Ventures webpage here. You will be able to navigate to the individual country page from this link.

GRI SME team involvement

The GRI SME Team is providing support on resources and process. Additionally it is exploring ways of helping the selected companies use sustainability reporting to gain new clients and investors, with particular attention to building their supply chains with interested multinational corporations and investors.