NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

“Most companies routinely fail to recognize the link between healthy ecosystems and their business interests…Business simply cannot function if ecosystems and the services they deliver–like water, biodiversity, food, fibre and climate regulation–are degraded or out of balance.”

SocialFunds.com published a great story today reminding readers of the fundamental importance of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment’s findings: that, essentially, “Business and ecosystem services are inextricably linked.” The days when we can pretend profits and environmental stability are independent of each other are quickly fading, and the private sector stands at a crossroads where it will have to decide whether or not to take global challenges such as loss of biodiversity seriously.

To offer a ray of optimism, I and the rest of the New Ventures team sifted through our portfolio to find ten of the best examples of entrepreneurs who have not only decided to address these ecological challenges, but have found a profitable market opportunity in creating scalable solutions. The ten companies profiled represent a slew of industries and five different regions, but whether they sell waterless car washes or sustainable perfume additives, each business is tapping into growing markets for green products.Take a look at the web version of the publication, A Better World is Our Bottom Line, and feel free to offer any feedback or commentary. You might be surprised at how innovative and high-impact relatively small businesses can be with a creative team behind them. As Luiz Maia of Rio Bravo Investimentos writes in the introduction: “In the right environment, these enterprises can and will produce solutions to some of the greatest sustainability challenges affecting their regions and the world. The main question moving forward is how much we will help or hinder their efforts.”