The Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has demonstrated its continued support for development of Barbados’ green economy by offering eleven (11) cleantech companies complimentary membership to the BCCI. The membership will take effect from January 2022.
Executive Director, Misha Lobban-Clarke, said the offer was part of the BCCI’s partnership with the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (Export Barbados, BIDC) Cleantech Cluster Barbados (BLOOM) incubator programme, in which the companies had participated.
“This one-year complimentary membership offer is both a demonstration of the Chamber’s continued support for environmental sustainability initiatives, as well as its commitment to supporting the development of new and emerging green businesses. It will no doubt, positively benefit all the incubatees in the Cleantech Cluster as they take advantage of the full range of services that the Chamber offers,” she said.
The BCCI’s membership offer to the awardees of the programme was announced at an Incubator Award Ceremony held recently at Bagnall´s Point Gallery, Pelican Village, Bridgetown.
Chairman of the BCCI’s Green Committee, Andy Armstrong, who represented the Chamber at the ceremony, encouraged the incubatees to make the most of all that the BCCI membership has to offer, as a signal that they intend to build successful, mainstream companies.
He reiterated the Chamber’s commitment to helping Barbados become the most environmentally advanced green country in the Latin America and the Caribbean region, and to helping achieve an “even more ambitious goal” of deriving all its energy from renewable sources by 2030.
Mr. Armstrong stressed that the issue of sustainability and the green economy has been a primary focus for the BCCI since 2010 when it established a Green Committee to respond to the climate change crisis. He added that the Chamber, in its representative capacity for businesses in Barbados, sits on several committees that look at renewable energy and unlocking greater investment for renewables and collaborates closely with the Barbados Renewable Energy Association, the Barbados Environmental Sustainability Fund, and The Land Conservancy, on which Boards it currently holds representation.
Manager of the BLOOM programme, Jari Aaltonen, lauded the Chamber’s offer of membership to the awardees, stating that in less than two years, Export Barbados and the BCCI had collectively generated “positive impact to the local startup ecosystem in Barbados and increased visibility of Barbadian entrepreneurs and startups at regional and global level”.
The companies which will be benefitting from the BCCI membership are:
- ProSolar246
- OnSolar Solutions Inc.
- BIM EV Services Inc.
- EcoMyco
- SJPI-Solar Powered e-Vessel Project
- The Caribbean Environment Management Bureau (CEMBI)
- Red Diamond Compost Inc.
- Dee’s Enterprises T/A the Green Collective
- Healing Grove Container Farm
- Good Ridge Power
- Iron Charging Solutions
The BCCI has been working closely with Export Barbados (BIDC) since the start of the Bloom programme in July 2020, having served on the evaluation panel to select project officers for the Cluster, and assisted in organising the first investor pitch event for the incubatees in May 2021. The Bloom Cleantech Cluster manages and facilitates the Bloom Cleantech Incubation Programme which aims to promote cleantech entrepreneurship and commercialisation of new cleantech innovations. The Cleantech Incubator provides for the selected start-ups various business advisory services including business planning assistance, coaching and mentoring, matchmaking services and access to grant, project and private financing.
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