The United Nations Sustainable Goal 9:

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) consist of 17 key commitments that strive to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all by 2030.

Yann Arthus Bertrand has chosen this photo to represent the challenges of meeting the United Nations SDG 9. 

With a quarter of its landmass above the Arctic Circle, Finland is the northernmost country in Europe. In such high latitudes with a growing season of only 120 to 180 days, agriculture has to meet nature’s challenge: in the winter, the night lasts almost two months in the north while in the south, daylight does not exceed six hours per day.  With such early sunsets, the light from the greenhouse is reflected on the snow where the daily period for photosynthesis can be extended thanks to artificial lighting. Finland is able to produce 269,000 tonnes of fresh vegetables annually out of which 83,000 tonnes from greenhouses.

BNP Paribas:

BNP Paribas fully contributes to achieving all 17 SDGs through a large range of actions and initiatives.

Our commitment to achieving SDG 9:

BNP Paribas has established itself as the leading bank for start-ups and innovative companies, offering the market’s most comprehensive banking and financial mechanism to promote innovation.

Mechanisms to support start-ups: 

• In France, 16 specialized agencies (WAI – We Are Innovation) support 2,000 start-up clients since 2012. €50 million have been invested in seed and venture capital to support them.
• In Belgium, support to entrepreneurs was improved through the opening of the Co. Station, an accelerator which supports start-ups and companies in their growth phase.
• In Luxembourg, the Lux Future Lab has been developed, now counting 36 start-ups. In total, more than 200 jobs have been created since 2012 for the start-ups housed.
• In Turkey, TEB Start-up house supports entrepreneurs (training, consulting…) in their innovative projects.