Five entrepreneurs going to COP29 with ITC
The International Trade Centre is bringing five entrepreneurs to COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan. They'll join our delegation to share their first-hand experiences of how climate change affects small businesses, and how they can become part of the solution.
Bringing the voice of small businesses to the biggest global climate negotiations is crucial to ensure that they are included in the big decisions about climate actions.
Small businesses form the backbone of the global economy, accounting for 90% of businesses, more than 70% of employment, and 50% of GDP worldwide. They need to join the conversation.
These are the five entrepreneurs joining ITC at COP29:
Florence Jaukae, a bilum weaver and fibre artist from Papua New Guinea, works with indigenous women in remote communities to produce traditional bilum bags using natural fibres and dyes. They're made with sustainable practices, such as replanting natural fibres and educating weavers on recycling and ecosystem preservation. Florence runs climate education workshops that empower women in vulnerable and indigenous communities with new skills on ecosystem resilience and how sustainable practices apply in the local market supply chain. Florence also organizes popular fashion runway events with recycled materials, that have attracted international attention.
ITC Project Involvement: SheTrades
Trashcoin Limited is a digital waste management platform aimed at recovering recyclable waste from communities. Its founder, Phebe Ilesanmi, calls it the ‘Uber for waste management’, as users of the platform can deposit recyclable waste into their digital wallets, earning credits that can be used to pay for goods and services.
ITC Project Involvement: Youth Ecopreneur Programme (YECO)
Nilufari Farrukhi represents NASMB, the Tajik Business Support Organisation, which provides capacity building to small entrepreneurs to strengthen climate competitiveness and guide the towards climate finance. Their work includes technical support to small entrepreneurs, particularly in farming, to implement resource-efficient practices and circular economy strategies. Over the last four years, NASMB has engaged more than 170 companies in training focused on resource efficiency, sustainable consumption practices, and human capital development.
ITC Project Involvement: READY4TRADE Central Asia
Muhammad Qasim Siddiqui runs The Natural Fiber Company, a startup in the rural Sindh province of Pakistan. The company uses waste banana stems to create sustainable alternatives to synthetic materials, therefore reducing their carbon footprint. Their work also includes repurposing agricultural waste and preventing emissions equivalent to 2-4 tons of CO2 for every ton of banana stems reused.
ITC Project Involvement: GRASP Pakistan
By using drones and mapping technology, Fernando de Lucca Moreno, of Ceres Seeding is a standout in land restoration and environmental maintenance in Brazil. Their approach combines technology and sustainable practices, focusing on mapping degraded areas, planting forest seeds, and monitoring restoration progress. The result of this business model has brought a reduction in carbon footprint through reforestation, and they actively participate in capacity-building activities to increase their climate competitiveness.
ITC Project Involvement: Youth Ecopreneur Programme
