The WBCSD seeks to illustrate how companies work independently, or with different stakeholders, to integrate the challenge of sustainable development into their business activities. The value of sharing these experiences lies in their ability to further the business case for sustainable development by supporting the design of effective processes to continually improve practices.
The purpose of the Development case studies collection is two-fold:
to enable learning by sharing by highlighting the common challenges and best practices with regard to designing and implementing inclusive business ventures
to give initiatives broader visibility and thereby demonstrating the business contribution to poverty reduction efforts.
For a quick overview see this case study inventory ( 61 kb, updated as of January 2008), which includes short summaries and links of the most relevant development-related case studies available via the WBCSD website.
In the framework of the Alliance between the WBCSD and SNV Netherlands Development Organization, a number of specific business-brokering activities are ongoing across Latin America. The Alliance's website keeps track of the progress, with the aim of consolidating experiences and learnings. The website also provides links to external resources, cases, and tools related to the design and implementation of inclusive business ventures.
Mitigating climate change in the developing world requires more than just reducing carbon emissions. It requires a commitment to economic growth, poverty reduction and ultimately, sustainable development. As a leading carbon developer with an interest in understanding the impacts of its projects and their alignment with local and national development priorities, EcoSecurities set out to measure and understand how one Clean Development Mechanism project in its pipeline is contributing to sustainable development in local communities.
The Newmont Ghana Gold/International Finance Corporation Ahafo Linkages Program was designed to increase the participation of local businesses in Newmont’s Ahafo Mine and bring development benefits to surrounding communities. Newmont, along with the IFC, applied the WBCSD Measuring Impact Framework to the mine as a way to understand the extent of the project’s benefits and establish a rigorous approach to measuring, monitoring and evaluating progress in achieving the project goals.
The Allianz Group has been active in the microinsurance industry since 2005, when the South-East Asian tsunami devastated communities and left many families homeless. The company realized that the risks faced by the poor are much the same as those for others, but without insurance, the financial impact of disasters such as the tsunami is obviously greater. From a business point of view, this is a significant opportunity: microinsurance in emerging economies represents a market of great potential growth and profitability, as insurance markets in many rich countries become saturated and growth prospects limited. On a global scale, Allianz aims to reach 3 million clients with microinsurance products by the end of 2009.
Coca-Cola’s innovative approach to distribution is proving to be both good for the company and good for development as demonstrated in a recent report published by the company along with the CSR Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School and the International Finance Corporation. According to the study, the company has, to date, created over 2,500 manual distribution centers (MDCs) in Africa, generating over 12,000 jobs and more than US$ 500 million in annual revenues.
This case study, part of the WBCSD's Mobility for Development project, investigates the mobility situation in the Brazilian city of São Paulo. It highlights the dramatic shift in patterns of mobility over the last 40 years and looks at ways to better integrate different transport modes and thereby reduce heavy congestion on the city's roads.
Funded by Vodafone as part of a series of studies on the socio-economic impact of mobile phones, the report, “India: The impact of mobile phones”, demonstrates that mobiles aid the process by which disadvantaged groups, including the low-skilled labor force, enjoy the fruits of economic growth.
Out of the eight Millennium Development Goals, three are directly linked with sanitation: reducing child mortality, combating diseases, and ensuring environmental sustainability. Although much has been achieved over the last decade, the sanitation picture is still dismal in South Asia. Only 39% of the population in the region has adequate sanitation facilities.
As economic growth and industrialization accelerate and livelihoods and incomes improve, so the demand for mobility increases. However, in much of the developing world, demand for mobility solutions to drive economic growth continues to outpace supply, while the growing number of vehicles and other mobility solutions has not been matched by the necessary improvements in infrastructure.
Apia, the capital of Samoa, is the country's economic center. As a result of inadequate sanitation and drainage management systems, near-shore marine water and urban stream water quality in area has been significantly degraded. GHD, in association with Samoan consultants Tinai Gordon & Associates, is implementing a project to improve sanitation in Apia for the government of Samoa.
Improving sanitation in three flood-prone towns in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam is a local priority. GHD's Three Delta Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Project aims to improve the welfare of residents by rehabilitating and extending water supply, drainage, wastewater and solid waste management facilities and services and to develop the capacity of local institutions and community groups to manage these systems on a sustainable basis.
61 kb, updated as of January 2008), which includes short summaries and links of the most relevant development-related case studies available via the WBCSD website. 
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