Doing business with the poor

Doing business with the poor a field guide Learning Journeys of Leading Companies on the Road to Sustainable Livelihoods Business WBCSD Council Project: Sustainable Livelihoods The project is conducted by a pool of visionary members who are prepared to share their experiences, their successes and failures in doing business at scale in the poorest regions of the world. [...] The concept of doing business with the poor and in fledgling markets calls for additional focus and significant change in the way we do business and the way we think about doing business. [...] It is in response to these drivers and the evolving context of globalization that a diverse group of WBCSD member companies from a wide range of industries has been working to design new business activities and approaches that serve the needs of the poor and help them towards sustainable livelihoods in ways that are good business rather than good philanthropy. [...] They can do so by supplying the right products and services to the marketplace or by stimulating local economic activities that increase the buying power of the poor and thereby contribute to growing the demand for new products and services. [...] The guide is designed to encourage business to recognize – and help realize – the potential for ‘development through the market’ in emerging economies, and to help ‘make markets work for all’ by creating opportunities to do business that does well and does good.