Grasim rides on sustainability, launches Livaeco brand

For the first time in Huckletree history we’re hosting a virtual sustainability festival to address the climate change agenda, bringing together brands, leaders, entrepreneurs and investors from all corners of the globe. By 2050, experts predict that there will be 9 billion people living on the planet putting enormous stress on everything from transport infrastructure to sanitation provision, public services to energy supply, clean air to green spaces.

Rapid urbanisation and urban population growth in SSA have led to the development and expansion of cities which have generated increasing pressure on their transport systems. Some major cities in SSA have implemented, or are in the process of implementing, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems to address some of their mobility challenges at the lowest possible cost. Total length of BRT corridors under development in six SSA cities is 343km (including 141 km under operation in four cities) representing a total capital investment estimated at US$ 1.8 billion. Two of these cities (i.e. Accra, Ghana and Lagos, Nigeria) have operational Quality Bus Service and BRT-Lite system. BRT implementation in SAA cities has shown mixed results. Financial sustainability and commercial viability challenges have often materialized. They translate BRTs’ high upfront infrastructure investment costs and operational subsidies requirements to maintain services quality. In this context, private sector solutions have been explored to address known public financial gap. To date, mobilization of private sector capital has been slow and difficult, however. This is due to cross cutting challenges encompassing political economy, regulatory, institutional, technical, social and financial characteristics of these projects. It is critical for SSA governments to have in-depth understanding and comprehensive assessment of those challenges if they are to develop contextualized and effective solutions to them.

Aviation Sustainability is the Middle East’s new forum dedicated to accelerating the aviation economy with sustainability. Launching on the 25 November 2020 it will uncover how improving operational efficiency and reducing emissions can help airlines simultaneously protect the environment and their business. Bringing together the entire aviation sustainability ecosystem Aviation Sustainability will dive deep into significant subjects including economically viable fuels, engine design and technology innovation through a series of interactive workshops, roundtables and enhanced networking programs.