IIX and SEAS announce joint efforts to promote the growth of Social Enterprises within Energy sector of Asia Pacific

Press Release

Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIX) and the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) solidifying joint efforts to promote the Social Enterprise (SE) space among the sustainable energy sector. This is a significant step forward in continuing both organizations’ goals of creating more inclusive energy access to the millions currently in Asia without dependable sustainable energy options.

In Asia today, over 700 million people are still without access to electricity and almost two billion people still burn wood, dung, and crop waste to cook and heat their homes. With energy demand projected to double by 2030 in Asia Pacific, much of it driven by developing economies, the time is now in advocating innovative and clean energy solutions that are reliable, accessible and affordable. IIX believes that SEs – innovative organizations that employ market-based solutions to address social and environmental challenges—are part of the solution.

The MOU between IIX and SEAS covers two major components: mutual advocacy and greater knowledge integration. IIX and SEAS will work together to mutually promote one another’s work to its main constituency bases: SEs and organizations active in the sustainable energy sector, respectively. In addition, IIX and SEAS will refer qualifying enterprises to one another. This is a concerted effort to pool more resources and actors with common goals towards finding innovative and effective solutions to a more sustainable and energy-efficient Asia.

The MOU will also encourage greater knowledge sharing between the two parties through various capacity-building workshops, enabling sustainable energy enterprises to showcase its positive social and environmental effects to investors. “There is a big role for IIX and SEAS to play in emphasizing a renewable energy company’s positive social and environmental impact just as prominently as its financial returns. Our combined efforts will bring to the forefront these companies’ contribution to a more energy-efficient and green Asia,” shares Mr. Robert Kraybill, Managing Director of IIX.

In the effort to create immediate traction, IIX and SEAS look forward to collaborating on a series of outreach events in the coming year to drive more knowledge within the sustainable energy community about the power of SEs in providing energy solutions for the poor and underserved as well as champion the role members of the energy sector can play in the socio-environmental development of the communities they work in.