SOCIAL BUSINESS GUIDELINE

(B)energy
Katrin Pütz
Westerwaldstr. 11
56335 Neuhäusel
Germany
+49 2620 2503
info@be-nrg.com
www.be-nrg.com
Welcome to Biogas as Social Business!

(B)energy is a social business that provides mobile biogas technology. By offering a unique
combination of biogas digesters and biogas storage and transport containers we enable biogas
systems to be run as an income generating business. The system becomes financially viable and
affordable for many people worldwide.

This guideline serves as information for stakeholders interested in working with (B)energy. It
describes the (B)energy ways and principles in order to assure a corporate social business action
across countries and continents.

We understand ourselves as change agents – technology and approach wise. As (B)energy

partner you commit to a social business strategy that demonstrates how energy problems can be
solved with creative solutions suited to the individual countries’ situation - local resources, local
efforts, local solutions based on a common concept following one aim: an independent, private
sector based biogas dissemination with multiple business opportunities for local people. We
follow the principles of social business as defined by Muhammad Yunus (2009):

1. Business objective will be to overcome poverty, or one or more problems (such as

education, health, technology access, and environment) which threaten people and
society; not profit maximization.
2. Financial and economic sustainability.
3. Investors get back their investment amount only. No dividend is given beyond
investment money.
4. When investment amount is paid back, company profit stays with the company for
expansion and improvement.
5. Environmentally conscious.
6. Workforce gets market wage with better working conditions.
7. ...do it with joy.

These principles are the basis for our (B)energy social business principles, which are to be
followed by every partner, (B)ginner and (B)franchisee worldwide.

• No use of “free money”. We do not allow the use of donations, funds, grants,
development money or charity to reduce the price of the system for the end user. It is
also not permitted to give away (B)energy technology for free, because this leads to
market distortion und unfair competition in the biogas sector. Besides, it is very
unsustainable.
• No sale below market price. The price of the technology is not to be reduced to a price
lower than the market price. Micro credits which ease the accessibility are very welcome.
• Direct Sale to end users. (B)energy technology can only be sold to end users. We do not
sell to organisations involved in development aid that would use the technology in
financed projects or provide the technology to end users at reduced or no cost. In case of
sale to aid organisations the “No Market Distortion Agreement” has to be signed with
(B)energy in which the organization agrees to not selling (B)energy products below the
purchase price.
• Guarantee after sale service. Crucial for the success of any technology is the access to
service in case of problems. To prevent failure of the technology we only sell to where
reliable after sale services will be provided.
We care about these principles!

Our aim is to establish (B)energy in as many countries in the world as demand requires. This can
best be done by locals, who know the market, society, business environment in their country. By
this, responsibility for meeting local demand for clean and affordable energy is transferred to
local individuals and can be developed and adapted to a country’s individual situation as opposed
to foreign ideas implemented by foreigners with foreign money. Consequently, (B)energy
focuses on local social entrepreneurs! You can only become a (B)ginner or (B)franchisee in your
own country with your own investment capital.

Our core values are based on the conviction that independent and self-determined development
is the only sustainable way to tackle the different energy situations. Durability of a technical
installation can only be assured through ownership and responsibility as well as a reliable service
network. Thus, access to our products is given through demand driven achievements - purchase
of the products at market price by the end-user from a local (B)energy representative.
(B)energy provides fair and transparent offers, is reliably available for customer requests and
establishes continuous presence also in rural areas. To achieve and maintain this image
throughout the countries of operation we take great care of keeping the value of our products
high.

Our mission is to build a social energy business with the means of the individual country, society
and culture to reach maximum independence and guidance for the entrepreneur and her/his
future customers by providing modern products and creating business opportunities for
(B)energy customers – the (B)entrepreneurs.

Biogas Social Business models in brief!

Type I Social Business – (B)energy

Aim: The business’ goal is to solve a social problem – the energy struggle of rural people with
their own means. All profit is reinvested into the company.

(B)energy is brought to the target customers by local entrepreneurs – the (B)ginners and
(B)franchisees, who start their own (B)energy business in their country. They are provided with
all necessary know-how and technology by the franchisor (B)energy Germany and then
themselves provide not only our technology on their local market, but also establish the
necessary infrastructure to promote, market and service these products.

Type II Social Business – Biogas Sale through rural entrepreneurs

Aim: Reduce poverty by providing a profitable business opportunity for small scale entrepreneurs

Providing a business opportunity through the sale of biogas means that the current energy, living
and income situation can be changed by those who suffer from it. A farmer, mother, teacher,
police woman or anybody else can become a (B)entrepreneur, who invests into a biogas system
of (B)energy and produces biogas from cow dung and organic waste. Any excess gas can be sold
to nearby households in the (B)pack. Buying biogas is especially interesting for households, who
currently spend money and time on fetching, transporting and buying cooking energy sources.
For (B)entrepreneurs with large amounts of input substrate the produced biogas can be sold to
several households or a whole community. The biogas producer generates income and the
biogas users have access to biogas without having to invest into their own biogas system. Now
many can use biogas, earn with biogas, save through biogas, reduce their daily workload, cook in
healthy kitchens and by default save the environment!

Organisations can become partners!

4 possibilities for NGOs or aid organisations to patner with (B)energy in making biogas the
energy solution for people in need:

1. Help us find (B)ginners who implement our (B)ginner Kit in their country
2. Contribute to our company owned revolving fund which offers loans to (B)ginners and
(B)franchisees to make their start easier
3. Become a (B)ginner or (B)franchisee and add a business arm to your organisation
4. Promote our offer of (B)ranching out and connect us with possible product providers
and companies