By Borbala Csete and Andrea Eras Almeida

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Eastern Caribbean island nation, famed for its beautiful landscapes, pristine white-sand beaches and temperate climate, attracted around a million tourists each year. But with travel restrictions across the globe, tourism all but dried up, and the country’s economy has seen a dramatic downturn. It is estimated that, by the end of 2020, GDP had contracted by 18%, primarily due to a 71% decline in long-stay arrivals over the year.

In these times of instability, the Barbadian government is accelerating its efforts to diversify the economy and rebuild a more sustainable and resilient one. Apart from renewed activity in traditional sectors, the country aims to tap into the new value chains of the emerging global green and blue economy. Barbados not only has ambitious plans to become the first carbon-free small island developing state by 2030, but also intends to become an export leader of cleantech products and services to the Caribbean and beyond.

Cleantech for more resilience

In this context, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is supporting the Government of Barbados with the establishment of BLOOM, the Caribbean’s first cleantech cluster. Created as public-private partnership, the cluster provides shared resources and services, as well as a makerspace for companies and academia to work on joint projects, solutions and marketing. The cluster is hosted by the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC), under the supervision of the Ministry of International Business and Industry.

Mark Hill, CEO of BIDC, said, “Cleantech is part of our “Design It, Make It, Ship It” export and business development strategy, which aims to foster the design of feasible, viable and desirable Barbadian products and services that are well-produced, sustainable and globally competitive, and can be physically shipped or virtually exported across the globe. With the BLOOM cluster we have an important tool to promote local cleantech entrepreneurship and innovation.”

“We can build on the success of the Barbadian solar-thermal industry, which has its origins in the 1970s. Solar thermal water heating reaches over 55,000 consumers today, saving thousands of barrels of oil and CO2 emissions each year. Under the common BLOOM label, we will upgrade existing industry and create new ones, tapping into new technologies and business models, including electric mobility, battery storage, green hydrogen, ocean energy, efficient appliances, waste recycling, bioenergy and the circular economy,” he adds. 

The cluster’s sustainable, responsible and impactful approach to export development embraces the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a bedrock for developing Barbadian businesses.

“The days of business-as-usual are over. We’re doing business unusual,” concludes Hill.

Matching businesses, science and beyond

Jari Aaltonen, manager of BLOOM, explains, “The BLOOM cleantech cluster is still a relatively new player in Barbados’ innovation ecosystem as it was launched in 2020 in the midst of a deep economic crisis. As of now, the cluster has 20 members including start-ups, government agencies, chambers and universities.”

“Working with young start-ups and new business development projects has great economic and job creation potential,” says Aaltonen. At the moment, the cleantech incubator is established with 10 incubatees, whose business models and business plans are under development in cooperation with the cleantech cluster members.

The cluster has engaged young cleantech entrepreneurs from the University of West Indies for the incubation programme, offering them high-quality training, individual coaching and mentoring provided by local experts and partly by international training institutions like Coursera and the International Labour Organization. “This combination is the key for accelerated learning,” Aaltonen says.

“The cluster is working at all levels: local, national, regional and global. The country’s first cleantech incubator was established with four experts, which has nearly doubled to seven since, in line with growing demand. The team is working very closely with their start-ups in their first two years, to help them validate their business idea and business model, secure financing, start product development and get their first few clients. Building new skills and capacities is key for the success of any start-up, and, therefore, there is a sharp focus and a lot of attention on organizing online training courses that are compact, innovative, and pragmatic at the same time.

Since 2019, a close cooperation has been established with the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre and the International Association of Science Parks to boost strategic partnerships between local and international businesses.

Standing out from the crowd: women and youth cleantech entrepreneur

One such organization is CEMBI (Caribbean Environmental Management Bureau), a non-governmental organization which has launched the BitEgreen Market web platform and app to increase the use of recycled materials.

CEO Simera Crawford explains that the BitEgreen app is “a solution that offers value to the community at large through the preservation of the environment for present and future generations.

“I live by a purpose which is to preserve the well-being of nature for present and future generations. I have the training and abilities to do something about it,” she adds.

Crawford also acknowledges that “building a team to foster high performance implementation of a very extensive business idea and finding assistance in marketing and communications is a challenge.” UNIDO’s programme is designed to help alleviate these concerns until the growth of the business diminishes them.

Empowering women and youth

As of now, there are ten start-ups in the incubation programme, and 60% of the entrepreneurs are women. Close to two-thirds of the clients have managed to raise financing through grants and/or loans.

Kerri-Ann Bovell is part of the cleantech cluster with her business EcoMycö, which seeks to replace traditional fossil fuel-based packaging, such as Styrofoam and high-density and low-density polyethylene, with a bio-based and biodegradable alternative. She incorporates local plant matter as the raw materials for the bioplastic films she has created so far.

“I feel like I am at the starting point of a successful journey. Thanks to the support from the incubator, I have already learned to think more critically and have gained a much better understanding of what it takes to start and grow a successful business.”

For Bovell, pushing a bio-material business ahead implies “contributing to both our Barbadian and Caribbean economies, possibly even the international community, in a manner that results in little-to-no negative environmental impacts.”

And for those who are interested in working in this field, Bovell advises “be prepared to not only work hard but work smart as well. Also, utilize the resources provided for you as much as possible.”

Pilot for global replication

The GEF-funded project in Barbados is a pilot for the Global BLOOM programme promoted by UNIDO, within the Global Network of Regional Sustainable Energy Centres (GN-SEC), which assists developing countries in the establishment of cleantech clusters as part of their energy, environment and industrialization policies.

According to Martin Lugmayr, UNIDO Global BLOOM Coordinator, “Clustering is an important tool to incentivise the private sector to strategically engage in the expanding value chains of global cleantech manufacturing and servicing. A sustainable and inclusive climate transition requires the strengthening of local entrepreneurship and innovation, also in lower and lower-middle income countries. Ultimately, it is about local jobs and environmental sustainability.”

“In the past, cleantech clustering has been predominantly a domain of industrialized and emerging countries. However, there is also a critical mass of young entrepreneurs and scientists in developing countries who are keen to work together in a collaborative platform, benefitting from joint resources, intelligence and support for incubation and industrial upgrading,” he adds.

More information about the UNIDO project is available here.

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Just ten countries account for 90% of all global patents, and 70% of all exports, directly associated with the advanced digital production (ADP) technologies that are driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Another 40 are actively engaging in these technologies, but the rest of the world remains largely excluded from technological breakthroughs such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics, cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), advanced robotics and additive manufacturing.

The ten economies showing above-average market shares in the global patenting of ADP technologies are, in order of their shares: the United States, Japan, Germany, China, Taiwan Province of China, France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea and the Netherlands.

Other countries producing or using these new technologies, although to a much more modest extent, include Israel, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Canada, Mexico, Thailand and Turkey.

Most developing countries are not involved, however - and this is a problem, according to a new report by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Industrializing in the digital age, UNIDO’s Industrial Development Report 2020, argues that these new technologies are at the core of successful inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

They enable the creation of new goods and product innovations, which lead to the emergence of new industries – and the jobs and incomes that come with them. When these innovations are geared to reducing environmental impacts - by introducing green manufacturing - they also promote the environmental sustainability of industrial processes.

New technologies can also increase production efficiency, leading in turn to sustained industrial competitiveness and expanding manufacturing production. Greater efficiency is also associated with reductions in pollutant emissions and material and energy consumption per unit of production, which can improve the environmental sustainability of the process.

According to the UNIDO report, in large parts of the world, especially on the African continent, countries are not producing or importing in any significant amount the most representative goods within the realm of ADP technologies.

Even among countries with some activity in ADP technologies, a large number are importing the capital goods associated with these technologies, with very little or no domestic innovation and exporting activity. This means that their prospects for moving up the technological ladder are limited.

UNIDO is calling for immediate action from the international community to support developing countries - especially the least developed countries - in adopting ADP technological breakthroughs. Without international support, low-income countries run the risk of lagging further behind and failing to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Adopting advanced digital production technologies will have far-reaching benefits for developing countries

Developing countries face a range of challenges in engaging with the new technologies:

· Many lack the basic production capabilities for absorbing, deploying and diffusing ADP technologies along supply chains.

· Companies in developing countries that could make technology investments in this area have already committed resources to older technologies, and they need to learn how to retrofit and integrate the new ADP technologies into their production plants.

· ADP technologies demand substantial infrastructure for their use in production. Some developing countries face significant challenges in providing affordable and high-quality electricity as well as reliable connectivity.

· In developing countries where companies are engaging with some ADP technologies, many of these technologies remain contained within the company and occasionally a few close suppliers who have the production capabilities to use them. The vast majority of firms still use technologies typical of the Third or even Second Industrial Revolution. In this context, it is extremely difficult for a leading company to link backwards and nurture its supply chain.

Taken together, these challenges point in one direction: the need to build basic industrial production capabilities as a prerequisite for joining the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The latecomers and laggards can only catch up with support oriented towards building basic, intermediate and advanced industrial and technological capabilities, together with digital infrastructure.

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Marine plastic pollution, commonly referred to as marine plastic litter, is a major global environmental problem. Marine plastic litter harms marine species through ingestion and entanglement, violates the integrity of ecosystems, inhibits growth of marine plants, accumulates and transports pathogens that may cause disease and injuries to marine animals, plants and humans, and partly ends up in the food chain. Moreover, it causes economic losses due to reduced fishery yields, declining amenity for tourism, and damage to shipping and related infrastructure.

Some of the plastic in the oceans comes from fisheries, aquaculture, nautical activities and illegal dumping in the sea, but around 80% of the total comes from the land. Land-based plastic pollution is caused primarily by inappropriate management of waste of plastic packaging and short-lived products originating from various consumer products in numerous sectors. These consist for example of plastic bags; single and multilayer food and beverage containers; cleaning and personal care product containers; food wrapping and trays; plastic foil; single-use cutlery; cups; synthetic textiles and clothing; plastic footwear; and so on. Wind and rain carry this litter into streams and rivers, and then into the oceans.

Nowhere to throw it

Better management of plastic litter on land would clearly reduce the amount of plastic litter entering the oceans, but that doesn’t address the issue of what to do with the overwhelming amounts of plastic waste generated in the first place. There is nowhere to throw it all away.

One way to approach the challenge is by transitioning to a circular economy, where the crucial concept is the designing out of waste. The key to the success of the circular economy approach is to focus on the design stage, rather than trying to deal with waste at the end of the product’s life.

In the case of plastic, the idea is to change practices and encourage innovation so that we use less plastic; design plastic products in ways so that they can be reused; develop the technologies allow more effective and efficient reprocessing of used plastic; and devise and use safer alternatives to traditional plastics.

Plastic packaging, synthetic textiles and clothing, and short-lived, fast-moving consumer and institutional products made of plastics contribute significantly to the generation of marine plastic litter. There is hardly any global, regional, national report or research study on marine plastic litter that does not point out the contribution of packaging, single-use or short-lived consumer products, personal care products containing microbeads, synthetic clothing and microfibers, and fishing gear lost at sea.

At the design stage

The rapid, flowing nature of plastic packaging and short-lived plastic consumer products which become waste needs to be addressed by the consumers of plastic packaging, namely industries such as manufacturers of food and beverage producers, shoes, textiles and garments, as well as the manufacturers of short-lived consumer products. This is best done at the design phase within the value chain, through collaboration with the plastic producers and the converters, the companies which manufacture plastic products, ranging from toothbrushes to building pipes, from fruit boxes to car interiors.

In the product design stage, the following might be considered: a) scrutinizing the necessity of packaging altogether, including of plastics, b) selection of renewable, bio-degradable and compostable materials and additives that are not toxic or that are less toxic than fossil-based plastics; c) designing for less material use in order to decrease waste; d) designing packaging and products that use a single or small number of polymers that are easy to separate during recycling.

Policy measures to incentivize circular economy practices in design could consist of supporting implementation of innovations in the re-design of existing products and the design of new products, and supporting innovations and start-ups, in particular those related to new, biodegradable and compostable plastics.

The above was originally published in UNIDO's Making It magazine and draws on a working paper, ‘Addressing the challenge of marine plastic litter using circular economy methods’, published by UNIDO in April 2019. The working paper was prepared for the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019, which  identified stemming marine plastic litter as one of its priorities. 

Image Credits: https://www.ratedradardetector.org/ 

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"I believe in horses," said the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, in 1905. "Automobiles are a passing phenomenon."

When they were first launched, few people could imagine that automobiles would affect human life to the extent that they did. But contrary to what Kaiser Willhelm thought, automobiles turned out to be much more than just faster horses. Their adoption became a force that reshaped cities and gave rise to urban sprawl.

Today, not unlike the early 1900s, mobility is drastically changing. The electrification of transport will dramatically affect how energy is consumed and supplied. Given the right incentives, the shift to electric vehicles can add traction to the evolution towards cleaner, more decentralized and smart energy systems and services, making the sector a major driver in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. But this will only be true if the electricity that vehicles use is not generated by the burning of fossil fuels.

Many countries already have large fleets of electric vehicles. In Norway, for example, they make up half of the automobile market. China is also taking large steps in the same direction: the country adds 9,500 new electric buses to the streets every five weeks, the equivalent to the entire London bus fleet. One of its cities, Shenzhen, has an entire fleet of more than 16,000 electric buses.

But while the electrification of transport gains traction in some countries, several barriers still keep the technology from being widely adopted in others. Batteries, for example, are still too expensive and their price keeps markets from achieving economies of scale. The lack of charging stations presents another problem, since consumers fear how long they can travel before batteries run out of charge.

Acknowledging this scenario, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is working to develop a market for electric vehicles in several countries by overcoming the barriers to their adoption as well as ensuring that they are powered by renewable energy sources. The approach is meant help markets reach economies of scale, guaranteeing that they enjoy both the economic and environmental benefits that can originate from the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Those include decreased air pollution and carbon emissions, but also the creation of green jobs and the development of homegrown, innovative technologies and business models.

“Innovations in battery and charging technologies are key to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and decarbonize the sector,” said Rana Ghoneim, Chief of UNIDO’s Energy Systems and Infrastructure Division. “Car manufacturers are investing in new solutions which drive the cost of electric vehicles down, making the greener choice more affordable for the end-users,” she added.

With a target of having ten percent of its fleet be composed of electric vehicles by 2020, Malaysia is concerned with the reduction of its greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UNIDO are working together with the country to promote the use of solar energy in charging stations. One of the main goals of the intervention is to develop the country’s capacity to manufacture parts of electric vehicles. The adoption of charging stations powered by renewable energy sources is also expected to include Malaysia in the global chain of battery producers, as well as benefit the existing manufacturers of semiconductors and solar photovoltaic panels in the country by increasing the demand for their products.

South Africa is also working to develop low-carbon transportation. With funding from the GEF and technical assistance from UNIDO, the country developed a policy framework to regulate and encourage the adoption of electric vehicles in the cities of Durban and Johannesburg, where particular attention was paid to the public transport system. The goal was to prove to other municipalities and the private sector that the technology is not only positive for the environment, but also economically and technically viable. Solar-powered charging stations were designed, installed and tested, in partnership with the local private sector in order to demonstrate the technology’s viability.

China is the country with world’s fastest growing use of electric vehicles, and it plans to make sure they are powered by sustainable energy sources. With funding from the GEF and with UNIDO’s technical assistance, different renewable energy technologies will be implemented in charging stations in the cities of Shanghai and Yancheng. The plan is to evaluate which of them offer the best results and should be replicated throughout the country. An extensive study is also being undertaken in order to identify which policies could be implemented to encourage their adoption.

“Public-private partnerships at the city level are essential to boost electric mobility. This is why we are piloting innovative business models which deploy charging infrastructure powered by renewable energy sources,” said Ghoneim.