Today, TRANSFORM, an impact accelerator that helps to grow visionary impact enterprises across Asia and Africa through grant funding and tailored business support, celebrates ten years of game-changing collaboration.
Since its launch in 2015, the initiative has supported over 140 enterprises tackling global development challenges in 19 countries, reaching over 19 million lives, from business owners, to workers, customers and people in the wider community. Successful impact enterprises have provided people with access to clean water and sanitation, healthcare in rural areas, and opportunities to make a living. The programme’s reach nearly doubled in just two years, growing from 10 million people in 2023 to 19 million.
Nivedha RM CEO and Founder of TrashCon, said:
"It's thanks to TRANSFORM that our company exists today. Investors didn't take us seriously until it came along. When we first met its team we had a proof-of-concept prototype. They gave us the funding - and provided invaluable expertise to help us create the right business model and scale up. Today, we have over 20 plants separating around 1,100 tonnes of waste daily."
Uniting industry leaders and government to transform lives
Led by Unilever, the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and EY, the ten-year initiative is a unique example of a long lasting public-private partnership - combining grant funding with the different skills, networks and resources of each organisation to help impact enterprises scale into thriving, self-sustaining businesses. In turn, this supports global development – environmental, social and economic – as enterprises grow and continue to drive positive impact in their communities long after the programme funding concludes.
The programme has been running for the past decade, creating wide-ranging social, economic, and environmental impact, for example:
- Over 140 impact enterprises supported, delivering tangible results across diverse sectors, from waste to agriculture.
- Over 6,000 direct jobs created through supported enterprises*.
- Over 410,000 customers benefitting from enterprise products and services*.
- Over 750 employees from EY and Unilever have shared their business knowledge to help enterprises unlock their potential, supporting the development of their own careers.
Together with TRANSFORM, these enterprises have:
- Diverted 91,669 tonnes of waste from landfills*.
- Enabled over 16,400 shopkeepers to access loans, learn new skills and improve last-mile distribution, strengthening local economies*.
- Secured over £50.4 million in follow-on funding.
Rianne Buter, Unilever’s VP of Sustainability, said:
“In a world facing complex challenges, we are proud to celebrate ten years of successful collaboration through TRANSFORM. It’s a milestone that reflects the real power of public-private partnerships - showing that when we work together, we can achieve far more than any organisation could alone.
“Through TRANSFORM, Unilever has not only helped impact enterprises scale but also built meaningful partnerships with businesses working on our key sustainability priorities – climate, plastics nature and livelihoods. These relationships are helping us drive change on the ground, while creating more sustainable and inclusive systems within our business.”
Driving impact through regional ownership
In recent years, TRANSFORM has also evolved its approach, shifting power and ownership of funding to the countries and communities it serves by putting decision-making power in the hands of local stakeholders.
Since 2023, TRANSFORM has hosted seven regionally led challenges from East Africa to India and Indonesia. Locally employed colleagues from Unilever, EY and the British High Commission have participated in the development of challenge briefs, as well as in sourcing and selecting enterprises. This ensures that local knowledge and expertise drive every stage of the process and reflects a commitment to solutions shaped by those who best understand their communities’ needs.
Spotlight on enterprise projects
Through TRANSFORM, enterprises are achieving significant results. Here are just some examples:
- Coast 4C is helping over 286 farming families in the Philippines by giving them high-quality inputs, on-farm management support and technology to improve yield and value of regenerative seaweed. The initiative has contributed to the protection of nearly 6,000 hectares of coastal waters.
- Reeddi is bringing cleaner, more reliable, and affordable electricity to over 10,000 homes and businesses, by manufacturing and rolling out 500 battery-powered generators to 10 communities in Nigeria.
- TrashCon is scaling its waste processing system in India by 100 times and establishing its main revenue stream “WoW products” - furniture boards made from hard-to-recycle plastics. Further proof of its success is that its technology is now being adopted by a TRANSFORM enterprise based in Kenya.
Gillian Hinde, EY Global Corporate Responsibility Leader, said:
“At TRANSFORM, our mission is to unlock, not gate-keep, the potential of the social enterprises we support. By testing and scaling their innovative ideas, we help early-stage enterprises reach a point where they can attract further investment and become self-sustaining. Our collaborative model provides validation, visibility, and vital connections to accelerate their growth and expand their reach globally. To date, we have helped impact enterprises raise over £50.4 million in follow-on funding.”
