Partners

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a CEO-led organization of forward-thinking companies that galvanizes the global business community to create a sustainable future for business, society and the environment. Through its members, the Council applies its respected thought leadership and effective advocacy to generate constructive solutions and take shared action to drive business action on sustainability in the coming decade and beyond. The WBCSD aims to be the leading voice of business that will support companies in scaling up true value-added business solutions and in creating the conditions where more sustainable companies will succeed and be recognized. The NBI is the global partner to the WBCSD in South Africa.

The CDP

The CDP motivates companies and cities to disclose their environmental impacts, giving decision makers the data they need to change market behaviour.  The CDP requests environmental data on behalf of 827 institutional investors with over US$100 trillion in assets. The CDP commenced in South Africa in 2007, and constitutes the largest data source on company climate change mitigation in South Africa. The NBI is the local partner to the CDP and annually runs and manages the CDP climate change and water programs in South Africa. Since its initiation, the CDP has provided an excellent platform to engage companies on climate change and water issues.

We Mean Business

WMB is a coalition of organizations working with thousands of the world’s most influential businesses and investors. These businesses recognize that the transition to a low carbon economy is the only way to secure sustainable economic growth and prosperity for all. To accelerate this transition, we have formed a common platform to amplify the business voice, catalyze bold climate action by all, and promote smart policy frameworks. The National Business Initiative (NBI) has been a regional network partner to We Mean Business (WMB) since the beginning of 2015,  utilising the NBI’s knowledge and experience of South African and regional businesses and policy making to contribute a local perspective to WMB’s international work around climate change and businesses. 

Read their Company Commitments here.

The CEO Water Mandate

The CEO Water Mandate mobilizes business leaders to advance water stewardship, sanitation, and the Sustainable Development Goals – in partnership with the United Nations, governments, peers, civil society, and others. The NBI partnership with the CEO Water Mandate is to focus on specific activities to support corporate action on water in Southern Africa including:

• Assisting South African-based companies in undertaking better water practices
• Helping drive and facilitate collective action on water
• Showcasing good stewardship practices, including those that tackle national and regional water challenges

Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator is a not-for-profit social enterprise building African solutions for the global challenge of youth unemployment. They work in South Africa with many partners who are committed to results that can work at scale – including government, the private sector, civil society, and over 1 million youth. 

Harambee is committed to changing the system by removing the barriers that keep millions of young Africans locked out of opportunity. Their vision is of a growing economy and a society that works, powered by the potential of young people. 

NBI and Harambee share a goal of supporting efforts aimed at developing a skilled workforce responsive to labour market demands as well as demonstrating practical ways in which to link youth and the world of work. The interventions of NBI and Harambee are mutually reinforcing and seek to achieve scale, speed and replicability.