Ecosystem Snapshot

Southeast Asia

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Climate and Environmental Entrepreneurship in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia is one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, with a total GDP of over USD 2.7 trillion.1
However, its progress is threatened by the increasingly adverse impacts of climate change. Entrepreneurship has a leading role in developing solutions to both mitigate and adapt to climate change. This report evaluates the current support ecosystem for climate and environmental entrepreneurs in six developing Southeast Asian countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Through ANDE's data collection and analysis, this report offers insights on the set of organizations supporting entrepreneurs that aim to address climate change mitigation, adaptation, and non-climate related environmental protection challenges.

Year of first activities in Southeast Asia

About the methodology

While ANDE Snapshots typically focus on entrepreneurship support more broadly, this Snapshot narrows the scope to focus on climate and environmental entrepreneurship support. Climate and environmental entrepreneurs (including, but not limited to, green entrepreneurs) are change agents who see venture creation as a way to address pressing challenges related to climate change and other critical environmental issues. In building their business, growth orientation is combined with the ambition to create a greener and more sustainable world.2 For inclusion in this study, organizations have to meet the following screening criteria:

  • Provide capacity development, financial, or knowledge and advisory support to entrepreneurs
  • Incorporate climate or environmental considerations in their vision, mission statement, or strategy
  • Have an ongoing climate or environmental initiative that targets entrepreneurs
  • Have a climate or environmental initiative operating in either: Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam

This methodology was adapted from ANDE's traditional snapshot methodology. Please direct any questions regarding methodology and research to Victoria.Hume@aspeninstitute.org

2 Key Takeaways about Southeast Asia

Top 3 Sectors

  1. Sustainable Agriculture and Aquaculture
  2. Circular Economy and Waste Reduction
  3. Sustainable Forestry and Reforestation

IMM Importance

43% say Impact Measurement & Management is Absolutely critical.

Footnotes

1 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2019. Active with Southeast Asia.
2 Hörisch, J., Kollat, J. and Brieger, S.A, 2017. What Influences Environmental Entrepreneurship? A Multilevel Analysis of the Determinants of
Entrepreneurs’ Environmental Orientation, Small Business Economics, 48, 47–69.

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