From 25 to 27 March 2024, nearly 400 players in the field of economic and sustainable development gathered in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, for the ChangeNOW trade fair, considered to be "the world's largest event for global solutions". Here's a look back at three days of ideological sharing, networking and the signing of partnerships to promote ecological and social transformation on every continent.
Bôndy. Not the French commune in Seine-Saint-Denis, but the start-up that is revolutionising biodiversity management in Madagascar by supporting the private sector in reforestation, developing value chains that are resilient to climate change and optimising carbon credits. The young company is run by a trio made up of Gabriel Tasso (a graduate of HEC Montréal), PR expert Nelson Maillard and their friend Fontaine Andonirina, who is now Minister for the Environment in the Madagascan government.
They were well represented at the ChangeNOW trade fair held in Paris from 25 to 27 March 2024. For Gabriel Tasso, who is proud to have achieved “€1 million in sales without raising funds and 150 full-time employees.”, this event is a key meeting place for federating the ideals of ecological and social transition with innovation.
A meeting place for innovative solutions
The ChangeNOW trade fair, supported by the eponymous concept, brings together the bearers of sustainable solutions, investors and managers from every continent. Over a hundred workshops took place over three days at the Grand Palais Éphémère (not far from the Eiffel Tower), bringing together political decision-makers, media professionals, business leaders and artists who are shaping their environment in their own way.
The fascinating contributions to the “Challenges of the carbon market” round table, for example, showed just how complex this concept remains, in that “many ecological compensation systems exaggerate the benefits for the climate and underestimate the potential drawbacks for nature”, indicates the balance sheet for the year moderated by Erin Leitheiser. She is in charge of climate and nature policy at the American foundation Business for Social Responsibility (BSR).
In the name of economic and sustainable development
Other ChangeNOW participants include Lorie Louque. Aged just 21, the Frenchwoman works with the Morfo organisation, which specialises in forest monitoring in both Latin America (Brazil) and Africa (project in Libreville, Gabon), two regions affected by massive deforestation and drought. “We use drones, artificial intelligence (AI), satellites and data science to provide all the data you could possibly need on the forest, its evolution and local populations”, she explained to Afrik21.
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Alain Richard Donwahi was one of the most notable Africans present in Paris from 25 to 27 March 2024. The president of COP15 on desertification reminded young people, women and businesses of their role in preserving natural resources and the potential for developing the circular economy. And all this obviously requires investment in training and innovation. The former Ivorian minister also took the opportunity to sign a number of memorandums of understanding, notably with the energy company LifiLed, whose green technologies “will broaden the scope of collective and diversified mobilisation in the fight against desertification, drought, land degradation and climate change”, he explained.
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