Magazine

Collecting plastic waste on beaches, riverbanks or in communities faces a major problem: Most plastics are not recyclable. However, a number of start-ups are developing innovative concepts to turn the waste into valuable construction materials.

Julika Diering is co-founder of the project Fish'N'Bricks. They collect plastic waste from land and sea in Indonesia and eventually process it further into plastic bricks. The aim is to give the apparently useless plastic waste a new value.

Salem El-Mogaddedi is the co-founder of Conflictfood. Since his inspiring journey through Afghanistan, he and the Conflictfood team have been successfully supporting people in conflict regions through direct trade with local producers.

Lisa Ertle is co-founder of the association Zeugen der Flucht, which carries out anti-racist educational work. The focus is on direct exchange between refugees and young people in schools in order to successfully break down prejudices.

Armed conflicts are on the rise in various parts across the globe. In this article, we highlight six ground-breaking civil society-led initiatives, which help to protect civilians in conflict areas and to build peace even where it seems impossible.

Corals have been suffering from climate change for years. In particular, the rise in water temperature can lead to coral mortality, and instead of thriving reefs, all that remains are dreary seabeds. Therefore, more and more people worldwide are committed to restoring already damaged reefs.

The marine ecosystem with its biodiversity is endangered worldwide. This also affects coral reefs, which are indispensable for animals and humans. From an idea in a circle of friends, Coral Gardeners has now become a global movement to save coral reefs worldwide.

Karsten Hirsch is a social entrepreneur and founder of Plastic Fischer. His goal is to stop the global plastic pollution of the oceans. Not there, though, because much of the world's plastic waste ends up in the sea via rivers. If their success also has to do with the fact that they are happy when others copy their open-source technology? Find out in the interview where he got the idea for the floating barriers and whether he separates waste himself.

There are forward-looking ideas for countries suffering from persistent water shortages. Various initiatives are addressing the problem of water scarcity in very different ways and are successfully seeking innovative solutions. Cosmotaics, for example, is developing solar parks for desert areas that simultaneously produce water via condensation.

Igor Luketina is founder of our supported project Cosmotaics. He is dedicated to the problem of water scarcity in regions suffering from extreme water shortages. His solution: A revolutionary conversion of solar systems into water farms. In the interview, you find more about him.

Sustainability and socially critical factors are becoming increasingly important in the textile industry. There are numerous fashion labels and brands that are specifically committed to education and empowerment, especially of women.

Together, Chaiim and EYD are helping traumatized women and girls reintegrate into society through a self-sustaining social business model.

Our search engine GOOD generates revenues for good causes – in 2022 more than 10.000 € were raised. With this, we were able to support nine extraordinary solutions for a better world. Here we present them.

The organization Apopo takes advantage of the African giant hamster rat's highly developed sense of smell. It has spent the last 25 years preparing these affectionate rodents to detect two of the deadliest threats on the planet: Land mines and tuberculosis. Both emit their own odor, undetectable to humans, which the rats can quickly sniff out. Soon, new areas of operation are to be added.

Gexsi is becoming GOOD. Search and do Good – now with a new name, new design and new features! Since the beginning of 2019, we continuously improved our search engine Gexsi. Now it’s time for our search engine and team to take the next big steps. Below we’ll give you an overview of what’s new.

Regional, seasonal, sustainable – this is what the slow flower movement is committed to and advocates for cut flowers from the region, grown from organic seeds and cultivated without the use of pesticides. In this way, they are standing up to the billion-dollar business with cut flowers as imported mass-produced goods.

Sustainable food, smart kitchen tools, social supermarkets, and of course the good old snack for in-between: We've compiled a list full of inspiring social enterprises that make it easier for you to protect resources and use less plastic.

You want to make a positive impact but look for ideas other than traditional donations? Here we feature various platforms which allow you to achieve a great positive impact by blending philanthropy and investing.

The mobile laundry service for homeless people, Orange Sky from Australia, has inspired a multitude of initiatives worldwide. It is always about taking homeless people seriously and meeting them at eye level.

We have supported the Austrian social startup Plasticpreneur by sponsoring a mobile plastic recycling machine. The machine now has arrived in Nepal, where it helps to kickstart decentralized recycling ventures across the country.

The war in Ukraine is shocking for all of us and many people want to help. That's why we want to share several ways you can take action right now.

With Gexsi, the search engine for a better world, you automatically contribute to protecting our oceans. We do this by regularly supporting initiatives that are committed to SDG 14 - Life Below Water.

It started with a bakery that was shipped to Kinshasa packed in a shipping container. Now the idea of a mobile, energy-autonomous bakery is being replicated worldwide - financed via a crowd investment campaign.

The social startup "Plasticpreneur" from Austria offers innovative solutions for recycling plastics on a small scale. With their mobile machines, it is possible to easily start recycling plastic from anywhere.

Unfortunately, Greenwashing is not a rare phenomenon in times of increasing climate awareness. There is also another way: These nine initiatives involve entrepreneurs who are really serious about social responsibility.

At the start of autumn, we present 6 books that broaden your view and let you see the big picture. These inspiring reads provide answers and solutions to the biggest questions of our time.

With their work, these 7 social enterprises from Austria help to break down the prejudices that still exist far too often against certain groups of people, such as the homeless and refugees, and thus help to reduce social inequality.

While shopping, send a tip to the people who sewed your clothes - the young social enterprise "Tip Me" from Cologne makes it possible with their innovative software solution and thus improves the lives of many sewers.

​​Do you want to donate money, but you are short of cash right now? No problem. We present six clever ideas on how you can make a big difference despite a small budget.

"Seeing shoes" and helpful online platforms that adapt agilely to a wide variety of needs in times of crisis: We present 9 social enterprises from Austria that aim to revolutionize everyday life for people with disabilities.

Organisations dedicated to fighting child marriage and female circumcision and skateboards that empower young girls: these 7 social entrepreneurship initiatives are working for greater gender equality around the world.

In a world full of crises and challenges, we need positive stories more than ever. These online magazines engage in constructive journalism and regularly feature inspiring people, ideas and their social businesses.

These 10 social enterprises from Austria all act in the spirit of the circular economy and thus not only make an important ecological contribution, but also increase the satisfaction of their consumers.

An encounter with a Cambodian tuk-tuk driver touched Cologne students so much that they founded "Socialbnb": An innovative platform that connects travelers with local social and ecological projects and social enterprises around the world.

Did you know that a bicycle can be so much more than just a means of transport? These 8 social enterprises show how bicycles can build bridges and overcome prejudice, ensure access to healthcare and even create jobs.

Whether gaming, food, or learning - with their digital solutions, these 8 social entrepreneurs from Austria are committed to numerous fields of action of the SDGs, including SDG #2 - No Hunger, SDG #3 - Health, and Wellbeing, or SDG #4 - Quality Education.

The team from the University of Mannheim has just won the Enactus National Cup and will represent Germany at the World Cup. They form part of a network of over 70,000 students worldwide who develop amazing business ideas for a better world.

Growing older concerns us all! Therefore, it is important to start thinking today about how we can live well in old age. We introduce you to 8 social enterprises from Austria whose work is particularly committed to SDG #3 - "Health and well-being".

The "Magdas Hotel" is Austria's first social business hotel and shows with its unique concept how the world can be made a little better "while you sleep". Because here, recognized refugees look after the guests.