Ecostart – Grünes Unternehmertum für nachhaltige Entwicklung in Marokko

The effects of human activity on the environment, such as global warming or biodiversity loss, affect the planetary boundaries within which the global community must operate. International agreements are intended to share the burden. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) play a key role in meeting the agreed goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. In Morocco, 98 percent of the private sector consists of MSMEs. They make an essential contribution to the economy and employment. At the same time, MSMEs have great potential to weaken the environmental impact of human activity and influence them positively through sustainable business models.

The Ecostart project is part of a larger program to promote MSMEs in Morocco, and is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and other local partners on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMU). Parts of this project, including Ecostart, are co-financed by a European Union program on competitiveness and green growth in Morocco. Ecostart is an incubation program that provides support to 50 green, climate-friendly companies in the early stages, helping them develop and test their business concept and bring their innovative business ideas to market. The participating companies receive professional support from experienced experts in the field of green entrepreneurship and benefit from peer learning and networking with like-minded companies and relevant local actors.

adelphi is in charge of the conceptualisation and implementation of the Ecostart incubation program. In concrete terms, adelphi is building a virtual platform on which companies can apply and are evaluated in a two-stage process by an internal and external jury. adelphi supports the selection process for the best project ideas. In addition, the think tank is developing a toolbox that is based on design thinking and covers a range of topics from target group analysis to the development of a business model, as well as a good practice guide for coaching green enterprises. One thematic focus of the good practice guide is on the implementation of digital formats, such as workshops and trainings. The toolbox and the good practice guide serve as the basis for a training of trainers – carried out by adelphi – and the accompanying program for the 50 selected companies.