LENS Business, Law and Policy

Inspiring Work

Showcasing Businesses That Do Good and Well

Stories of companies "doing good" can be inspiring, moving—and lead to more innovation that drives economic prosperity while contributing to a healthier world and human well-being.

Celebrating innovative companies around the globe and sharing their stories is the mission of AIM2Flourish, a global learning initiative based at the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit at Case Western Reserve's Weatherhead School of Management.

AIM2Flourish showcases businesses aligned with 17 United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Business students from a number of countries write stories after interviewing business leaders using an approach known as Appreciative Inquiry.

So far, students have written 182 stories for AIM2Flourish.com. Some of the best business ideas will be honored at the Fowler Center's Fourth Global Forum for Business as an Agent of World Benefit next June in Cleveland.

We hope you enjoy the stories we are sharing here from AIM2Flourish.com.

Read about the professor who co-developed Appreciative Inquiry.

#1: No Poverty. Sunrise Banks largely serves the inner-city neighborhoods of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Its mission is to provide innovative and affordable financial products.

#2: Zero Hunger. CV Green Health Agriculture in Indonesia provides farmers seeds and technical support that result in higher rice yields, which in turn lead to lower rice prices for consumers.

#3: Good Health and Well-Being. GOJO Industries Inc. of Akron, Ohio, is the maker of Purell hand sanitizer, which uses ingredients that are eco-friendly and based in scientific research.

#4: Quality Education. The Bolong Show (Si Bolong) is a television program in South Jakarta, Indonesia, that has broadcast more than 1,200 episodes. It features children who discuss how they protect the local environment and use what they find in nature for daily living.

#5: Gender Equality. The Jess-Don Dunford Ltd. agency in Guelph, Ontario, represents manufacturers and makes gender equality part of its business model.

#6: Clean Water and Sanitation. CPlantae in Puebla, México, developed a wastewater treatment system that, in part, involves constructed wetlands and earthworms. The company's main client is Africam Safari in Puebla and its suppliers are small businesses. CPlantae also offers workshops to teach low-income people how to build the eco-friendly treatment system at home.

#7: Affordable and Clean Energy. Gram Power in Jaipur, India, has a microgrid powered by an array of solar panels to provide clean, reliable and affordable power.

#8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Café Nor in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, buys, processes and exports coffee. It also provides technical assistance to farmers to improve output and integrate sustainable practices.

#9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. LumiShield Technologies Inc. near Pittsburgh is working to commercialize a type of coating for corrosion-resistant metal products that is less expensive and more environmentally friendly than traditional metal-plating processes.

#10: Reduced Inequalities. The company ar estudio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, makes a system that provides emergency shelter systems for people made homeless by natural catastrophes, wars and other events. The shelters combine the characteristics of a tarp and trailer and are easily assembled.

#11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Evergreen Cooperatives in Cleveland is the umbrella organization for companies launched to create jobs, meet the purchasing needs of local anchor institutions and build community wealth for low-income residents. Launched by the Cleveland Foundation and a consortium of partners, Evergreen promotes worker ownership and sustainability in its areas of businesses—laundry services, urban farming and energy.

#12: Responsible Consumption and Production. Vadxx in Akron has created a technology to turn waste plastic (including plastic that's traditionally deemed non-recyclable) into oil, fuel and other energy products.

#13: Climate Action. Fuji Xerox (Hong Kong) is an information and communications technology company. One of its products measures electricity consumption in workplaces in real time to call out devices using the most electricity and motivate energy-saving efforts.

#14: Life Below Water. Dopper in Haarlem, the Netherlands, makes reusable water bottles from recycled materials. It also seeks to reduce single-use plastic and increase access to safe drinking water.

#15: Life On Land. Rio Secreto in Playa del Carmen, México, manages Rio Secreto, a semi-flooded cave where visitors can see stalagmites and stalactites that developed over thousands of years.

#16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Kapawi Ecolodge & Reserve is an ecotourism company in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador. The lodge is run by the indigenous Achuar community. It also offers rainforest conservation training and a marketplace for local artisans to sell products.

#17: Partnerships for the Goals. The Sheridan Group, based in Washington, D.C., provides consulting services to help clients create social change through public policy. It advocates for a range of organizations, including Save the Children and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.