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In today’s economy, emerging markets are more important than ever, as the name suggests, due to their high potential for economic growth, social development, and environmental sustainability. However, they are not without their many challenges, such as poverty, inequality, pollution, and climate change.

Various sectors have attracted attention from entrepreneurs and innovators aiming to create profitable startups that offer solutions for substantial benefits to both people and the planet. The beauty of sustainability startups lies in their focus on utilizing technology, creativity, and local knowledge to address the most pressing problems in the global community, rather than treating it as a general scientific topic or limiting it to a charitable cause for creating awareness.

In my opinion, the main challenge is to establish a profitable revenue model while addressing sustainability causes and mitigating associated problems. The solutions need to be adapted through various means. Despite the statement that controlling atmospheric temperature is beyond our control, I truly believe in maintaining a never-give-up attitude and focusing on implementing solutions in smaller steps, analyzing challenges from community to community.

Here are 40 promising emerging market sustainability startups to keep an eye on in 2023:

1. Zayad (Egypt) – The company recycles agricultural waste into sustainable bioproducts like biofuels, bioplastics, and organic fertilizers.
2. Kamworks (Cambodia) – It provides affordable solar energy systems to rural communities in Cambodia, improving access to clean electricity.
3. Kibo (Kenya) – it offers pay-as-you-go solar home systems to provide affordable, clean energy access to off-grid households in Kenya.
4. Ecozen (India) – It makes energy-efficient cold storage solutions to reduce food waste and energy consumption for Indian farmers and suppliers.
5. Bodhi (Nepal) – It builds electric vehicle charging infrastructure across Nepal to promote sustainable transportation nationwide.
6. Tutaina (Brazil) – It is a food waste reduction platform that connects consumers to discounted surplus produce in Brazil.
7. Solar Freeze (Nigeria) – It provides solar-powered cold storage to reduce food loss for Nigerian farmers.
8. Awa Farm (Ghana) – It develops digital tools and services to empower agritech for smallholder farmers in Ghana.
9. Ecobora (Colombia) – It provides sustainable construction materials from agricultural crop waste in Colombia.
10. Msitu (Tanzania) –  An online timber marketplace promoting sustainable forestry in Tanzania.
11. Solshare (Bangladesh) – It enables peer-to-peer solar power trading to increase renewable energy access in Bangladesh.
12. Engineer Bainomugisha (Uganda) – It manufactures affordable eco-friendly sanitary pads from banana fibers in Uganda.
13. Meliora Clean Energy (Chile) – It builds waste-to-energy systems to sustainably manage waste and generate electricity in Chile.
14. Revelation Eco Farm (Nigeria) –  It recycles organic waste into organic fertilizers and biomass briquettes to promote a circular economy in Nigeria.
15. Hara (Indonesia) – It operates a data exchange for agriculture to improve sustainability through better data access for farmers in Indonesia.
16. Kheyti (India) –  It provides affordable greenhouses for small farms to improve yields sustainably in India.
17. Arcadia (Kenya) –  It provides affordable clean energy access such as solar panels and clean cookstoves to improve energy access in rural Kenya.  
18. Meliora Clean Energy (Chile) – It builds innovative waste-to-energy systems in Chile, generating clean electricity from municipal solid waste sustainably.
19. Kupaa (Ghana) – It develops solar-powered water pumps to improve irrigation access for farmers in Ghana.
20. Wisdom Eco Park (Nigeria) – It collects, recycles, and upcycles waste while educating about sustainability in Nigeria.

The responsibility of keeping your home clean is yours. You can choose to do it yourself or hire help, but it needs to be done regularly without any excuse.

Sources:- Mckinsey, orfonline, hbr, seedstars, emerald