When North meets South
When business meets sustainability
Overview of recent projects
Business Management Support
Finance & business management coaching services to producer organisations, micro, small and medium enterprises in Africa
The Trade for Development Center of the Belgian Development Cooperation (Enabel, formerly BTC-CTB) is supporting high performing producer organisations and SMEs by providing finance & business management coaching services. Support provided by Green Crossroads includes business plan development, financial management improvement, development of a funding plan, international fundraising, identifying international customers, suppliers and investors. Green Crossroads has a 4-year framework agreement for these services (2017-2020).
Business management training and capacity development services to governmental organisations in Uganda
The Belgian Development Cooperation (Enabel, formerly BTC-CTB) is supporting human resources staff development in selected beneficiary organisations in the health, education and environment sectors. The purpose of the training and capacity building is to increase business management expertise to promote organizational improvement and increased service delivery by governmental organisations in Uganda. Green Crossroads has a 3-year framework agreement with BTC for these services (2018-2020).
Financial management expertise
The Belgian Development Cooperation (Enabel, formerly BTC-CTB) is active in 18 countries with a total budget of 220 mio EUR and needs occasional support in terms of interim management, short term support on programmes or projects with important fiduciary risk, audit preparation, evaluating internal controls and training of project staff. Green Crossroads has a 4-year framework agreement with BTC for these services (2017-2020)
Waste management & Recycling
Developing pilot projects for packaging waste & e-waste recycling in Algeria
Green Crossroads is supporting the Belgian Development Cooperation (Enabel/BTC-CTB) through the provision of consultancy, training and capacity building services in the set-up of a management system for the collection, sorting and recycling of packaging waste, electrical and electronic waste. Our support includes technical & economic feasibility studies and business plan development for pilot projects. Green Crossroads has a 2,5-year framework agreement (2017-2019) for the delivery of these services.
Launch of a national e-waste management system in Mauritius
Together with its partner SOFRECO, Green Crossroads has been tasked with preparing the launch of a national e-waste system in Mauritius based on extended producer responsibility (EPR). Our work included reviewing the e-waste situation in the country. Next, we developed a national strategy for e-waste collection & recycling, proposed changes to the legislation and designed a management system. Next, we calculated the advance recycling fee (ARF) needed to finance the operations, developed an infrastructure development plan and worked with all stakeholders to prepare the launch in 2018. The project is financed by the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and the French Development Cooperation (AFD)
Development of a national e-waste management strategy in the D.R. Congo
Together with its partner SOFRECO, Green Crossroads has been tasked with developing a national e-waste strategy for the D.R. Congo. The assignment consisted of making an inventory of the e-waste present in the country, formulating a strategy for e-waste collection & treatment at country level, designing the set-up of a recycling infrastructure and accompanying the equipment and construction of an industrial scale recycling company in Kinshasa. The project is financed by the World Bank.
Green Crossroads is responsible for the overall management and delivery throughout the different project phases.
Technical & economic feasibility study for car recycling in West-Africa
Green Crossroads worked for a consortium led by Port of Antwerp International and consisting among others of Toyota, Belgian industry federation Agoria, Febelauto, OVAM, Galloo, Campine Recycling. The objective of the consortium is to explore the economic feasibility of car recycling in West-Africa.
Green Crossroads was responsible for developing the business case to set up local dismantling and recycling activities in West Africa and defining a pilot project in Benin, West Africa. This includes mapping the actors and economic mechanisms form the basis of the current import, reuse and recycling activities; mapping the material flows throughout their lifecycle; analyzing products, prices, suppliers and customers and develop an plan for a pilot project.
Technical & economic feasibility study for a biomass storage & processing site in Limburg
Together with its partner Freestone, Green Crossroads supported the Flemish government to develop a local biomass storage and processing site for residual wood waste from government owned forests and woods in the province of Limburg. This way, residual wood waste can be valorized for useful applications. The wood waste can be transformed e.g. into wood chips or briquettes and commercialized to be used in biomass boilers and CHPs for industrial and residential use. The local and medium scale character of the operation guarantees the sustainability of the set-up.
Launch and management of a plastic recycling company in Cameroon
Plastics have become the material of choice for a very wide range of packaging because they are lightweight, resistant to outside environmental factors and allow a very easy delivery of products. However, millions of plastic bottles and other containers are left in the environment if no proper recycling systems are in place. In Africa especially, this poses a huge environmental challenge as well as an economic opportunity that remains largely unaddressed to date.
NAMé recycling is a Cameroonian company starting up a PET plastic recycling operation based in Limbe in the South West of Cameroon. Based on a lean process, NAMé recycling’s activity is the collection and recycling of plastic waste, followed by the production and sales of recycled plastic as a raw material again. The end product is re-injected in the Cameroonian and international market. NAMé Recycling is winner of the Business without borders prize 2015.
Green Crossroads is co-founder and shareholder of NAMé Recycling (www.name-recycling.com).
Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency
Feasibility for a biogaz installation at the Energy Valorisation Unit of Virginal
This study looked into the various options for the energy valorisation unit of Virginal of the Intercommunale du Brabant Wallon (IBW) in light of the Walloon waste plan that aims to limit the amount of waste to be incinerated in the future and the unit's soon to expire environmental permit. Green Crossroads conducted a study of environmental and economic opportunities exploring different scenarios, including the unit's phasing out, continuation of activities and/or expansion of activities in conjunction with the development of a biogas unit.
Technical & economic feasibility study for a biomass storage & processing site in Limburg
Together with its partner Freestone, Green Crossroads supported the Flemish government to develop
a local biomass storage and processing site for residual wood waste from government owned forests and woods in the province of Limburg. This way, residual wood waste can be valorized for useful applications. The wood waste can be transformed e.g. into wood chips or briquettes and commercialized to be used in biomass boilers and CHPs for industrial and residential use. The local and medium scale character of the operation guarantees the sustainability of the set-up.
Feasibility study for a biomass heating system for 8 adjacent buildings
Together with its partner Freestone, Green Crossroads performed a technical and economic feasibility study for the installation of a biomass based heating system for castle and adjacent buildings owned by the Flemish Government in Hoeilaart, Belgium. The study included a needs analysis, a technical and financial feasibility study of several scenarios including decentralized and centralized (through a heating network) energy production.
Hydrobox: Developing renewable energy solutions for off-grid locations
In collaboration with its partner Standard Hydro Power, Green Crossroads is developing 5 mini power plants providing renewable energy (1-5 MW) to off-grid locations in Africa. Electricity will be sold to local households and small enterprises in regions where the lack of infrastructure is a severely inhibiting factor to economic growth. The Hydrobox solution comes as a containerized power plant that can be coupled with a water purification system, providing a solution for 2 of Africa’s most urgent challenges in off-grid locations: access to energy and potable water. Green Crossroads is working as a project developer promoting the SHP solution in Cameroon and D.R. Congo. Green Crossroads is co-founder and shareholder of Hydrobox Africa (www.hydroboxafrica.com).
Scaling up sustainable biomass production in the D.R. Congo
GDM Plantation has planted 400 ha of giant bamboo in the Kongo Central region of D.R.C.
Giant bamboo provides an affordable, renewable and sustainable alternative to the high use of charcoal, leading to large scale deforestation in the region.
Bamboo is transformed into wood chips and briquettes. These final products are sold as a sustainable alternative fuel for local industry (e.g. cement factories) and to local households (through NGOs and in combination with energy efficient cook stoves).
Green Crossroads has supported GDM Plantation in applying for alternative sources of funding for the project (carbon credits and grants), establishing a cookstove production & sales network, accompanying investor field visits and providing ad hoc support to the management of the company.
WattsGreen: Start-up of renewable energy provider for SMEs in Europe
WattsGreen supports Belgian SMEs in reducing their energy consumption and switching to renewable energy sources. Large and multinational enterprises have taken initial steps towards energy efficiency and renewable energy years ago. Yet the vast majority of the Belgian economy is made up of small and medium enterprises.
That is why WattsGreen supports Belgian SMEs to reduce their energy consumption and switching to renewable energy solutions by providing the following services:
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Energy analysis
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Formulating energy reducing solutions (e.g. insulation, LED lighting)
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Formulating renewable energy solutions (e.g. solar panels, wind turbines)
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Implementing energy efficient measures (sales, installation, maintenance)
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Financing of energy reducing/generating solutions (third party finance)
Our experience has taught us that the cost of lighting is a major saving potential for SMEs (30 to 50% of the total energy cost). That is why we focus e.g. on LED lighting as it allows for up to 80% energy savings compared to traditional lighting. After reducing the current consumption of electricity we promote green energy alternatives such as solar panels and small wind turbines.
Green Crossroads is co-founder and shareholder of WattsGreen (www.wattsgreen.be).