SDG Project

We’re a team of 3 individuals with a strong will to take action on global challenges and accelerate the transition toward a fairer and more sustainable world. In February 2021, driven by the desire to put a spotlight on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the concept of Social Entrepreneurship, Shaan Madhavji started to work on designing a World Tour of Social Entrepreneurs as he was entering his final year at EHL. Clarissa Hediger, and Guillaume Monnier, and Chloé Favre (all EHL Alumni) joined the project in October 2022. SDG Impact Stories, an organization with a mission to boost social and environmental change through storytelling, was born.

Together, the team raised 57,000CHF (35,000 from EHL and 22,000 through crowdfunding) to get this idea off the ground.

Very few people actually know about the concept of social entrepreneurship (being profitable AND impactdriven), and we aim to change that. At SDG Impact Stories, we wish to inspire people by telling the stories of social entrepreneurs developing innovative solutions to tackle global problems such as lack of access to quality education, food insecurity, poor sanitation, access to energy and climate change. We strive to trigger emotions, encourage reflection, and ultimately empower everyone to accelerate social and environmental change.

For this, from Feb to July 2022, our team traveled to 20 countries to meet and cover the impact of 50+ entrepreneurs contributing to at least one of the 17 SDGs, completing the first-ever SDG World Tour of Social Entrepreneurs.

This project was largely supported by EHL and was the result of a collaboration with organizations such as Ashoka, the Social Gastronomy Movement, The Knowledge Society, AlphaMundi, Quadia, Accelerate Prosperity, Climate Positive, UN SDG Lab, UNDP, Sustainable Finance Geneva, and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship.

1. Educate people on global challenges and SDGs at a large scale

2. Raise awareness around Social Entrepreneurship

3. Inspire younger generations to pursue a career in the field of social and environmental impact.

We established 3 goals: For each entrepreneur, we produced:

• A 3 min storytelling video covering: 1) The problem the company is trying to solve 2) The solution 3) The impact of the company.

• A 15-20 min video interview with the founder or an executive

• All the content is shared in our socials @sdgimpactstories on IG, LI, FB, YT and Spotify

First of all, we are dedicated to putting the spotlight on the concept of social entrepreneurship, and its potential to accelerate social and environmental change. At SDG Impact Stories, we believe that small to medium-sized purpose-driven businesses can have a major impact on their communities locally, and globally. Social entrepreneurs not only have a positive impact but are profitable as well, which is essential for long-term growth.

Also, we strive to raise awareness on the 17 SDGs, which can be considered as a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The UN launched the SDGs in 2015 and describe them as an urgent call for action for governments, corporations, and individuals to reduce inequalities, promote social inclusion and protect the environment.

Lastly, we wish to inspire younger generations to pursue a career in the field of social and environmental impact. In recent years, young people have been more involved politically, making a conscious effort to consume more responsibly and avoid companies with questionable practices. But the field of impact is still emerging, being fragmented and tricky to navigate. For that, we want to spread information about the numerous opportunities that exist in that area.

With the support of the networks mentioned above, we selected some of the most innovative and impactful companies we could find. The list notably includes:

Too Good to Go CH (Zurich , Switzerland) : # 1 anti food-waste app. Mobile application that connects customers to restaurants and stores that have unsold food surplus

Tyres Recycling Solutions (Préverenges , Switzerland) : TRS collects and transforms end-of-life tires into a precious rubber powder that can be used as a substitute of many material in multiple industries

Ynsect (Paris , France) : Ynsect transforms beetles into premium, high-value ingredients for pets, fish, plants, and even human beings, in vertical farms fully automated by robots. The end product is a natural, healthy and sustainable alternative protein to traditional livestock farming, using 98% less land and 50 % fewer resources. It can also be used as a natural fertilizer

Fairphone (Amsterdam , Netherlands) : Develops smartphones designed and produced with a lower negative environmental impact. Every component can be bought and replaced separately, making the phone last for a long time.

Clink (London, UK): Clink opened the first ever public restaurant within the walls of a prison The goal is to give offenders the chance to pick up new skills by working in a professionally-run prison kitchen, transforming their lives and giving them a second chance

The Knowledge Society (Toronto, Canada): Leading accelerator program for curious and ambitious teens, recognised by the WEF in 2019 TKS trains young people (13 to 17yo) to solve the world’s biggest challenges using emerging technologies

SmartFish (Mexico City, Mexico): Dedicated to restoring México’s marine ecosystem by helping fishermen increase their income while adopting sustainable practices, breaking the cycle of overexploitation and poverty The only company in the country who exclusively sells sustainable fishery products

Ecocitex (Santiago, Chile): Ecocitex sells 100% recycled textile products through more than 250 women-led businesses across Chile Its recycling process extends textile lifetimes to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions

Sanergy (Nairobi, Kenya): Sanergy is dedicated to transforming the way booming cities manage their waste, turning organic and sanitation waste into high-quality agriculture and energy products

Saathi (New Dehli, India): Saathi is dedicated to changing the way menstrual hygiene is addressed, by sustainably manufacturing sanitary products and making them available all over India Saathi has developed the first 100% biodegradable and compostable sanitary pads, using bamboo and banana tree fibre waste, one of the most absorbent natural fibres

MediQ Smart Healthcare (Islamabad, Pakistan): Pakistan’s first virtual care platform Medi is dedicated to making healthcare easier and more accessible in the country, directly connecting patients with skilled medical practitioners

We traveled to 20 countries from February to J uly 2022 to cover the impact of 50 + leading social entrepreneurs working towards at least 1 of the 17 SD G s

We conducted and documented 35 + field visits in farms, schools, social restaurants, manufacturing sites, ministries, and more

For each company, we produced a 3min storytelling video (problem, solution, impact) and a 20 min interview with the founder or an executive

We met and interviewed +15 guest speakers such as Magali Silva (former Minister of Trade of Peru), Tariq Fancy (former CI O for Sustainable Investing at B lack Rock), Valeria B udinich (Senior Lecturer at MIT), Hari Lamsal ( U ndersecretary of N epal s Ministry of Education) and others

We were featured in several media such as SFG - Sustainable Finance Geneva, Heidi.news and appeared in a live interview on national television in Kyrgyzstan on TV1 Kg

We had the opportunity to present our work at several conferences, notably the Building Bridges Week in Geneva (Oct 3-6) and at the World Food Forum (Oct 17-21)

5 Social Entrepreneurs have been selected to benefit from a FREE business case on which senior students have worked on in CSR classes

1 Social Entrepreneur was able to benefit from a FREE SBP (business case) offered by EHL on which a team of 6 senior students have worked intensively for 2 months.

You can access our linktree here, and follow our journey on @SDGimpactstories on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, and Spotify. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, or if you wish to collaborate.

Do you wish to collaborate with us in any ways ?

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Meet Tyres Recycling Solutions, a startup founded in 2013, dedicated to bring used tyres back to the industry with high added value

Watch the full video here.

SDG World Tour episode

Watch the full video here.