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Rare Planet is a profitable travel-retail company that connects rural Indian artisans directly with consumers through stores at airports and cultural landmarks, transforming traditional crafts into premium, mainstream products. Its business solution replaces single-use plastics with sustainable artisanal alternatives—such as terracotta kulhads—while ensuring fair income, market access, and dignity for over 10,000 artisans. By embedding sustainability into a scalable retail model, Rare Planet directly advances SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) while contributing to SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
The world is facing a plastic pollution crisis. According to the National Planning Department (DNP, 2024), Colombia generates approximately 1.2 million tons of plastic per year, of which only 17% is recycled.
Globally, the situation is similar or even worse: more than 400 million tons of plastic are produced annually, and less than 10% is recycled, according to UN Environment (2023). This accumulation of discarded plastics affects terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, contaminates water sources, and contributes to rising CO₂ emissions. In light of this scenario, Ecomaderas Plásticas decided to take action. In the words of Javier Forero: “The problem is not plastic itself, but not knowing what to do with it. Our innovation gives it a second life and prevents it from ending up polluting rivers and soils.” Therefore, Ecomaderas’ innovation focuses precisely on addressing this issue through an ingenious process that transforms plastic waste into useful artificial wood, turning what was once trash into valuable raw material for new applications.
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El mundo enfrenta una crisis por contaminación plástica. Según el Departamento Nacional de Planeación (DNP, 2024), Colombia genera alrededor de 1,2 millones de toneladas de plástico al año, de las cuales solo el 17% se recicla.
A nivel mundial la situación es similar o peor: se producen más de 400 millones de toneladas de plástico anualmente y menos del 10% se recicla, de acuerdo con ONU Medio Ambiente (2023). Esta acumulación de plásticos desechados afecta ecosistemas terrestres y acuáticos, contamina fuentes hídricas y contribuye al aumento de emisiones de CO₂. Frente a este panorama, Ecomaderas Plásticas decidió actuar. En palabras de Javier Forero "El problema no es el plástico, sino no saber qué hacer con él. Nuestra innovación le da una segunda vida y evita que termine contaminando ríos y suelos".
Por eso la innovación de Ecomaderas se enfoca precisamente en atacar este problema mediante un ingenioso proceso de transformación de residuos plásticos en madera artificial útil, convirtiendo lo que antes era basura en materia prima valiosa para nuevas aplicaciones.
Laurea Socials has developed an integrated, patient-centred communication and marketing model designed exclusively for healthcare professionals. The innovation enables doctors, dentists, and other first-line care providers to communicate clearly, ethically, and accessibly with patients, countering health misinformation while strengthening trust between professionals and society. By embedding responsible communication directly into healthcare business operations, Laurea Socials contributes to safer patient decisions and improved well-being.
In an era of growing geopolitical fragmentation, ETP GPB (Electronic Trading Platform of Gazprombank) offers a compelling counter-narrative: a digital procurement platform that dismantles the legal, financial and linguistic barriers excluding small and medium-sized enterprises from emerging economies from high-value international tenders. By standardizing cross-border bidding, compliance and payment processes, the platform makes global procurement accessible and transparent for businesses of all sizes. This directly advances UN SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by generating scalable income opportunities across borders, and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by proving that rules-based international collaboration remains effective even in today's divided world.
The brand Rustic Art specializes in waterless, concentrated personal care products based on natural ingredients like Neem and Tulsi. They do not follow the common market strategy, where products are predominantly water; they develop active extracts that are global and produce less waste. This, combined with the use of simple, recyclable packaging and sourcing locally, will lessen the environmental impact while making it affordable for common users. Due to this strategy, the business is aligned with UN SDGs such as Responsible Consumption and Production and, in addition, Climate Action.
Ecuador generates approximately 5.3 million tons of solid waste per year (according to data from the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition for 2024), with a per capita generation of 0.81 kg per inhabitant per day. Of this figure, only between 6% and 11.8% is recycled according to different studies, with Ecuador leading Latin America in waste recovery according to the Yale University Environmental Performance Index 2024. Behind these figures are approximately 20,000 grassroots recyclers throughout the country, 70% of whom are women working in precarious conditions. ReciVeci has developed a technological solution that connects citizens with recyclers, closing the gap between the intention to recycle and actual action.
Imagine having access to the water you desperately need, but having nowhere to store it. In the Galápagos Islands, where every drop of freshwater is worth gold, a coffee farmer faced a cruel paradox: during the rainy season, thousands of liters of water fell onto his farm and seeped into the ground unused, while during the dry season, he paid a fortune for water tanker trucks coming up from Puerto Ayora. The cost of transporting water exceeds that of the coffee itself.
With $3,000 (USD), three plastic tanks, and recycled bottles turned into pipes, this man—who never studied engineering—created a system that not only changes how a business operates, but also changes how an entire community addresses water scarcity in one of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet.
In 2006, Novared was founded when the company Novacero recognized the urgent need to structure a national network of micro-entrepreneurs to collect ferrous scrap metal and secure its raw material. However, what began as a supply strategy soon revealed a deeper truth: the waste was not just a material, but the link to generating a triple impact (social, economic, and environmental).
After a decade of development, in 2016, the organization legally became Novared - Negocios y Reciclajes S.A. Under the leadership of its General Manager, Jimmy Baque Romero, the company established its base of operations in Durán and adopted a purpose that would transform its identity: "We empower people to clean the world, generating value."
Novared's ability to "see value where others see trash" extends to multiple materials. The company has developed the Novalit line, which manufactures thermoacoustic roofing from recycled plastic blends. These roofs are not only an environmental solution, but also a social one, offering a durable and economical alternative to traditional zinc for vulnerable communities.
Furthermore, their infrastructure allows for the processing of:
Glass: Transformed into high-purity cullet (crushed glass) for the packaging industry, reducing energy consumption and sand mining.
Paper and Cardboard: Processed into pulp for new packaging and egg cartons.
Cutting-Edge Technology: The implementation of film washing lines and optical sensor sorters has allowed materials that were previously discarded due to dirt or color to become high-quality raw materials.
Goenvi is a chemical recycling company that uses proprietary catalytic thermal decomposition technology to convert mixed plastic waste, municipal refuse, and agricultural residues into fuel, bio-coal, and carbon-negative biochar. By lowering pyrolysis temperatures and integrating IoT-based monitoring and verification, Goenvi makes waste-to-energy economically viable while ensuring traceable carbon removal. This solution directly supports UN SDGs 7 (Clean Energy), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and 13 (Climate Action) by reducing landfill waste, cutting emissions, and enabling verified carbon capture.
The business that we interviewed, Prabhu Naidu Limited, is a sustainable textile enterprise that manufactures eco-friendly cotton and recycled bags as an alternative to plastic while creating large scale livelihood opportunities for rural women. By training and equipping over 8,000 women to stitch the bags from home, Prabhu Naidu Limited combines environmental responsibility with economic empowerment. The company's model directly advances SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) by replacing the plastic waste with sustainable products and creating inclusive income opportunities in rural India.
ReCharkha is a Pune-based circular economy enterprise that transforms waste plastic into handcrafted lifestyle products through a low-carbon, artisan-led production process . By upcycling plastic into yarn using traditional charkhas and employing rural women artisans, the business simultaneously reduces landfill waste and generates sustainable livelihoods. This integrated model directly advances SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 5: Gender Equality, and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Boomitra develops large-scale, AI-powered soil carbon removal projects that help farmers and ranchers adopt regenerative agriculture while generating high-integrity, third-party-verified carbon credits. Using satellite imagery, machine learning, and robust scientific modeling, Boomitra measures soil carbon improvements and connects producers, especially smallholders to global carbon markets. The model restores degraded land, strengthens climate resilience, and enhances rural prosperity, directly advancing SDGs including No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Gender Equality, Decent Work & Economic Growth, Climate Action, and Life on Land. Through its “soil-to-school” approach, Boomitra channels most revenue back to farmers and communities, ensuring regeneration delivers measurable social impact.
In an agrarian economy like India, where 46% of the population is actively involved in agriculture, approximately 22% still live below the poverty line. Innovations like BharatRohan aim to solve this problem using new-age technology. BharatRohan is a drone-based agri-tech start-up with a mission to revolutionize agriculture into a dignified, sustainable livelihood for future generations and to make cutting-edge technology accessible in rural markets, empowering farmers with tools for resilient, chemical residue-free farming. It uses hyperspectral imaging to detect nutrient deficiencies or pest issues even before they become visible to the human eye. These result in higher yields, lower chemical usage, and lower input costs, making the crop healthier. Here are the major SDGs that BharatRohan aims to achieve:
This innovation is about engineering large-scale solar thermal and heat pump systems that significantly reduce electricity consumption and carbon emissions in high-demand buildings. By designing commercially viable, high-performance sustainable thermal solutions, the company advances SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) while supporting SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure). The model proves that climate-conscious engineering can deliver both environmental impact and strong financial returns.
Amlaan RiverCorp’s innovation, CataClean 2.0, is India’s first indigenously built water trash skimmer designed to remove floating waste from rivers, lakes, and canals where conventional systems fail. By integrating waste collection with a circular “trash-to-cash” model that converts recovered plastic into upcycled products and green jobs, the solution directly advances SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). The innovation transforms polluted waterways into engines of environmental restoration, livelihood creation, and sustainable blue economy development.
J&K Industries is a government-affiliated silk manufacturing organisation in Jammu & Kashmir that produces silk yarn and fabrics through fully integrated in-house processes. By installing Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) to recycle wastewater, adopting solar energy, upgrading infrastructure, and sustaining 10,000–20,000 local cocoon growers, the company contributes to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), meanwhile also contributing to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
Carboledger is a climate-tech startup co-founded and led by Ms. Lavanya that builds digital compliance and carbon accounting solutions for manufacturing and commodity supply chains. The platform helps companies track product-level carbon footprints (Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions), manage ESG and regulatory reporting, and securely exchange sustainability data across supply chains. By enabling transparent carbon accounting and supporting the transition to low-carbon trade (such as biofuels), Carboledger directly contributes to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) by helping industries measure, manage, and reduce their emissions.
Greenathon Technologies has developed patented, microbe-assisted solutions for textile effluent treatment and paper recycling that replace harmful chemical processes with sustainable biotechnology. Its innovation enables industries to reduce water pollution, reuse up to 80% of treated water, lower electricity consumption, and meet environmental compliance standards, contributing directly to SDGs 6, 9, 12, and 13.
Born from the painful realization that thousands were dying from curable conditions simply because they feared hospital costs, this innovation rebuilds trust in rural healthcare through a phygital, village-led model.
By empowering trusted Gram Mitras and Village Level Entrepreneurs to connect families with transparent, affordable hospitals and health financing, it ensures treatment happens before it becomes a life-or-death emergency.
In doing so, it advances SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by transforming healthcare from a distant privilege into a trusted community service.
Filament Fabrics and More is a circular fashion startup that addresses textile waste through a traceable upcycling model. The company collects post-consumer garments directly from customers and transforms them into premium products such as bags—ensuring that each customer receives a product made specifically from their own clothing. This traceable approach differentiates the company from conventional recycling or donation systems, where garments are mixed and often end up in landfills. By extending the life cycle of textiles and promoting responsible consumption, the business directly contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Additionally, by creating artisan employment and promoting ethical production, it supports SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). The innovation lies not only in converting waste into value but in building transparency, emotional connection, and accountability into the circular economy.