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The document outlines the criteria and technical guidelines for cities to access the Green Climate Fund's Simplified Approval Process (SAP). It defines eligible 'secondary cities' as those with populations between 1 and 3 million, emphasizing the need for integrated, cross-sectoral approaches to decarbonization and resilience. The guide details eligible sectors—including energy, building efficiency, mobility, urban planning, adaptation, circular economy, waste management, and water/sanitation—while explicitly excluding new construction projects for housing, roads, or rapid transit systems. It provides a framework for measuring impact using quantitative indicators and offers three project scenarios: LED street lighting, district cooling networks, and integrated waste management.

The document outlines the technical requirements and eligible sectors for urban projects seeking funding through the Green Climate Fund's Simplified Approval Process (SAP). It defines eligible 'secondary cities' as those with populations between 1 and 3 million inhabitants and identifies key sectors for intervention, including energy decarbonization, building efficiency, mobility, and waste management. The guide emphasizes a multisectoral, integrated approach to achieve a 'paradigm shift' away from carbon-intensive urbanization, providing specific indicators for measuring impact and examples of activities that do and do not qualify for the SAP.

The document outlines a comprehensive investment framework for the Green Climate Fund, detailing six primary investment criteria: impact potential, paradigm shift potential, sustainable development potential, needs of the beneficiaries, country ownership, and efficiency and effectiveness. For each criterion, it specifies activity-specific sub-criteria and indicative assessment factors, including quantitative indicators for mitigation (such as tCO2eq reduced) and adaptation (such as number of beneficiaries). The framework emphasizes the need for proposals to demonstrate climate resilience, gender equality, and the ability to catalyze further investment or replicate successful models across different regions and sectors.

The document outlines a detailed framework for Accredited Entities to develop funding proposals for the Green Climate Fund. It specifies the sub-criteria and indicative assessment factors across six main investment criteria: Impact Potential, Paradigm Shift Potential, Sustainable Development Potential, Recipient Needs, National Ownership, and Efficiency and Effectiveness. These factors include quantitative metrics, such as tonnes of CO2 equivalent reduced and the number of beneficiaries, as well as qualitative assessments regarding innovation, gender equality, and institutional capacity.

The report argues that inequality and sustainability are deeply interlinked, with the wealthiest individuals contributing most to environmental degradation while the poorest bear the brunt of its impacts. Through case studies in the UK, India, and Kenya, and analysis of the energy, transport, waste, and food sectors, it identifies recurring patterns of 'double injustice' where marginalised groups are most vulnerable to climate change and pollution. The document highlights 'win-win' examples—such as distributed solar power in Bangladesh, Bus Rapid Transit in Bogotá, and insect farming in Thailand—to show that sustainable development can be designed to reduce inequality.

The report evaluates South Africa's sustainability transition, arguing that the green economy is often treated as a sector rather than an economy-wide transformation. It critiques the 2011 Green Economy Accord as a 'public relations exercise' due to a lack of enforcement and monitoring, while praising the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment System (SEIAS) for improving the inter-disciplinary nature of policymaking despite internal capacity constraints.

A coalition of NGOs and trade unions acknowledges improvements in the Responsible Jewellery Council's (RJC) 2019 Code of Practices, specifically the adoption of OECD Due Diligence Guidance and the Minamata Convention. However, the letter argues that significant gaps remain regarding indigenous rights, human rights instruments, and environmental standards. The authors express concern over a phase-in period that could delay full compliance until 2024 and call for greater transparency in the auditing and certification process.

The Fugard Theatre in Cape Town generated approximately 110 half-used batteries per week due to performance safety requirements, leading to a stockpile of 3,000 batteries. WISP established a partnership to redirect these batteries to the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management Department and various charities for use in torches, radios, and medical devices. This initiative saves the City of Cape Town R21,000 annually and reduces the extraction of virgin materials. Because South Africa lacks battery recycling operations, spent batteries are sent to the Uniross collection programme for mineral extraction or concrete encapsulation and hazardous landfill disposal. An attempt to switch the theatre to rechargeable batteries was unsuccessful as they did not meet the technical specifications for the microphones.

The document details a resource efficiency project where WISP connected Farbe Designs, a clothing company in Stellenbosch, with CSK Material Handling to manage textile, plastic, and paper waste. Because the Western Cape lacks textile recyclers, CSK collects and bales the waste in Cape Town before transporting it to KwaZulu-Natal, where textiles are shredded for carpet underfelt production. The collaboration results in 20 tonnes of waste diverted from landfills annually and an estimated R8 000 in annual savings for Farbe Designs.

The Green Outcomes Fund (GOF) is a pioneering climate finance instrument in South Africa that uses an outcomes-based payment model to de-risk investments in green SMMEs. By providing grant funding to Catalytic Finance Partners (CFPs) upon the verification of specific green outcomes—primarily permanent job creation—the GOF aims to bridge the investment gap for high-potential green businesses. The pilot phase, launched in January 2020 with a total facility size of ZAR 488.1 million, has demonstrated that such incentives can encourage fund managers to invest in sectors they previously avoided due to perceived risk. Key findings highlight the necessity of business development support for SMMEs and the importance of deep sector expertise for fund managers. While the fund has successfully created green jobs and diverted waste, it has faced challenges with slow drawdown of funds due to a prevalence of low-skilled jobs and the disruptive impact of COVID-19. The GOF is now exploring scaling strategies, including expanding its model within South Africa and extending its reach to other African countries such as Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Uganda.

The briefing outlines the systemic failures of traditional municipal service delivery in South Africa, where over 7.32 million households in approximately 4,298 informal settlements face severe constraints. It proposes Alternative Service Delivery (ASD) as a paradigm shift based on Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), emphasizing decentralization and public-private partnerships. The document establishes a framework of technical, social, and financial 'best practice norms' to ensure sustainability and community ownership. Through case studies like Peco Power (energy), Kaloola (sanitation), Regenize (waste), and Gcwalisa (food/waste), it demonstrates how off-grid and community-led solutions can provide interim services while working toward long-term goals. It concludes by recommending a systems approach to integrate ASD into provincial planning and calling for flexible policy and funding mechanisms.

The document provides a comprehensive guide to the South African regulatory environment for Black Soldier Fly (BSF) agriculture, focusing on waste treatment, animal feed, fertilisers, and air quality. It details the necessary Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) under NEMA and specific licensing requirements for waste management and atmospheric emissions. The brief also covers standards for exporting BSF-based products to the EU and US, as well as regulations for human food chains and land use zoning.

The document details a pilot project in Buffalo City, South Africa, where a partnership between government, a producer responsibility organisation (Polyco), and a business chamber created hybrid recycling facilities. These sites combine free community drop-offs with paid buyback centres for waste reclaimers using a cashless voucher system. While only two of four planned sites (Southernwood and Commercial Road) were established by late 2021 due to COVID-19 delays, the project created 10 jobs and diverted significant tonnage from landfills, demonstrating a replicable model for extended producer responsibility.

The Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA) is a UK-funded global programme, led in South Africa by NBI and GreenCape, that provides technical, financial, and social inclusion support to low-carbon projects to improve their bankability. The programme does not provide direct funding but facilitates connections between project developers and commercial or concessional investors. Eligible projects must be at least at the pre-feasibility stage, have a financing need between USD $5m and $150m, and demonstrate measurable greenhouse gas emission reductions.

The document outlines a comprehensive set of circular economy interventions for the City of Cape Town, categorized by the principles of prioritizing regenerative resources, stretching product lifetimes, and using waste as a resource. Key initiatives include the Green Procurement Action Plan, the transition to electric vehicles, the development of repair hubs and equipment libraries, and the implementation of organic waste diversion targets.

The document highlights the challenges of construction and demolition waste (C&DW) management in Cape Town, where landfills are nearing capacity. It argues that while high-value materials like metals are already recycled, lower-value salvageable items are often discarded. The case study presents 'The Real Deal 2 Cheap' as a business model that fills this gap by purchasing and reselling used building materials, thereby reducing landfill pressure, creating local jobs, and providing affordable materials to the public. It also notes systemic barriers in South Africa, such as low landfill tariffs for C&DW and a lack of reliable waste data.

The document explores the application of AI in material recovery facilities (MRFs) in South Africa, specifically focusing on the solutions provided by Dragonfly. It argues that AI can augment human labour rather than replace it, particularly in developing economies where labour is cheap but efficiency is often low due to human error. Dragonfly's system uses high-resolution cameras and deep learning to classify waste, providing real-time data to optimise picker performance and conveyor speeds. In Cape Town and Stellenbosch, this technology increased material recovery by approximately 640 tonnes, reduced tailings by 22% to 30%, and led to a 10-15% wage increase for staff.

The document outlines the potential for industrial symbiosis by using waste foundry sand (WFS) as a secondary material in sectors like brickmaking and road construction. It highlights the economic benefits for foundries and off-takers, the regulatory hurdles involving waste classification and management licenses, and the technical requirements for processing WFS to ensure product quality.

The Green Economy Strategy Framework for the Western Cape focuses on driving business opportunity and investment to become the "lowest carbon province & leading green economic hub of the African continent". Key priorities include renewable energy, where 60% of the 64 REIPPP projects were developed by Western Cape-based developers, and the Atlantis SEZ, which attracted Gestamp with a R220 million investment expected to create 200 permanent jobs. The framework also highlights the WISP initiative, which completed 11 business synergies in six months, and special initiatives such as the Better Living Challenge, a GREEN Finance Support facility, and RIA Waste to support green job creation.

GreenCape has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a legal service provider to assist in developing a Waste Management Policy and Regulatory Tool. The tool is intended to help municipalities and project developers navigate the complex legal requirements for implementing alternative waste treatment technologies in South Africa, specifically within the Western Cape province.