Once termed a “sunset industry”, jute now offers fashionable, eco-friendly products that are attracting new consumers — thanks to innovative applications in the automotive industry, fashion, furnishings and landscape management. ITC’s role in jute product development and marketing has contributed to the turnaround, and has helped very poor families to improve their livelihoods and hopes for the future.

In Bolivia, a group of enterprising companies survived the collapse of the rubber industry by harvesting and processing Brazil nuts. As the lead export of the Amazon region, these humble — but difficult — nuts may be the secret to saving the precious rainforest. ITC’s assistance in addressing quality management issues has helped these exporters, as part of a project designed to boost Bolivian exports in ten industry sectors.

In 2000, ITC won an award at the World Bank’s Development Marketplace competition for innovative ideas for poverty reduction (see Forum 1/2000). The winning project, “Empowerment of Rural Communities to Export Organic Spices from India” uses Export Production Villages to organize smallholder spice producers, build partnerships with local NGOs, and ultimately provide access for rural villages to higher-value export markets for organic products.

Waste generated in houses, apartments and other dwellings is placed in doorways for collection by garbage trucks. Before the truck arrives, however, the garbage has normally been picked over for valuable material by private “rag-pickers” searching for items they can use or sell.