International Business Forum 2012 – Climate-based business models

The private sector is a key player in protecting the climate. The 15th International Business Forum (IBF) offered a platform for the presentation of successful business models that contribute to the fight against climate change. The conference also created a space for dialogue between entrepreneurs, policy makers and investors, giving them room to explore joint opportunities for cooperation and to discuss scalability potential.

The event focused on the two main themes of financing and skills shortages, which were identified in advance as key challenges for climate-based business models. These themes were addressed in three workshops centring on renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate adaptation.

adelphi was responsible for the overall design of the IBF, drafting the background paper and moderating various workshops. In order to facilitate networking among the participants and to foster contact between business partners and investors, a specially developed method, called Netfloor, was used for the first time.

The IBF was part of Investment Climate for Climate Investment – fostering business dynamics for inclusive low carbon growth, a three´-part series organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). adelphi provided support during the course of three events, which took place between 2010 and 2012.