Turning Ideas Into Impact: Setting the Stage for the next 10 Years of Green and Inclusive Growth through Entrepreneurship

This report by the Green Economy Coalition reviews the first ten years of the SEED Awards (2005-2015), an initiative founded by UNEP, UNDP, and IUCN to support social and environmental enterprises. It analyzes the survival and impact of 202 SEED Winners across 37 countries, highlighting the role of multi-stakeholder partnerships and tailored support in fostering green and inclusive growth at the grassroots level.

• SEED Winners demonstrate significantly higher survival rates than traditional small and medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs). While 88% of all SEED Winners still operate, 77% of those who won an award in 2010 or earlier remain in business after at least five years. In contrast, only 41% of SMMEs in the UK survive five years, and survival in South Africa drops to that level after only two years.
• The majority of operating SEED Winners are meeting or exceeding their goals, with 80% of those still operating reporting this status. This figure rises to 84% for enterprises that won awards in 2010 or earlier. To maintain this success, 43% of operating enterprises have made significant changes to their products and services, and 40% have made smaller adjustments to their business models.
• SEED Winners have achieved substantial social impact for populations at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP), reaching over 12.3 million total beneficiaries. This includes more than 8.2 million female beneficiaries, 4.7 million youth beneficiaries, and 7.9 million people in the informal economy.
• The enterprises have delivered measurable environmental benefits, including the recycling of 61,200 metric tonnes of materials, the saving of 3,276,000 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent, and the planting of 8,734,000 trees. Additionally, they have saved 13,048,000 kWh of energy and placed 78,000 hectares of land under sustainable management or organic farming.
• Multi-stakeholder partnerships are a critical driver of success for these enterprises. Over 90% of SEED Winners utilize partnerships, and 70% combine at least three different stakeholder categories. Data indicates that 60% of discontinued or frozen enterprises had very few or weak partnerships, while almost all enterprises meeting or exceeding expectations had established several relevant partnerships.
• Financing remains the primary challenge for social and environmental SMMEs, with 77% of SEED Winners listing it as a top five challenge. There is a specific undersupply of financial products in the 'missing middle' range of 20,000 to 200,000 USD, which is critical for growth.
• The SEED programme employs a four-tier support approach: 'SEED Starter' for early-stage concept proving; 'SEED Catalyser' providing financial support and capacity building; 'SEED Accelerator' for investment readiness and operational excellence; and 'SEED Replicator' to assist in the replication of business models through manuals and partnerships.
• Most SEED Winners exhibit strong economic growth, with 96% showing at least low growth and 87% growing by more than 5% annually. In 2014, 55% of winners had yearly revenues below 100,000 USD, while 12% exceeded 500,000 USD.

APA

Green Economy Coalition (n.d.). Turning Ideas Into Impact: Setting the Stage for the next 10 Years of Green and Inclusive Growth through Entrepreneurship. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/External-Reports/SEED_10Y_Flagship_Report.pdf

Chicago

Green Economy Coalition. Turning Ideas Into Impact: Setting the Stage for the next 10 Years of Green and Inclusive Growth through Entrepreneurship. n.d. https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/External-Reports/SEED_10Y_Flagship_Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Green Economy Coalition |title=Turning Ideas Into Impact: Setting the Stage for the next 10 Years of Green and Inclusive Growth through Entrepreneurship |url=https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/External-Reports/SEED_10Y_Flagship_Report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greeneconomycoalitionndturning, author = {{Green Economy Coalition}}, title = {{Turning Ideas Into Impact: Setting the Stage for the next 10 Years of Green and Inclusive Growth through Entrepreneurship}}, institution = {Green Economy Coalition}, url = {https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/assets/reports/External-Reports/SEED_10Y_Flagship_Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }