The Botswana Investment and Trade Centre has launched a Green Mark; a Pride Mark offshoot that rewards measurable sustainable action over good intentions, and Executive Director Kutlo Moagi says it will help investors spot credible businesses.
For years, Botswana has sold itself to the world on a powerful, quiet credential: 40 percent of its land is reserved for conservation, delicate ecosystems and game parks. It is a country whose cultural DNA, from how houses were built with natural resources to its organic, local cuisine, has always been sustainable.
Now the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre (BITC)wants to turn that national character into a competitive business advantage.
Last week, BITC unveiled its new Green Mark – a marketing icon designed to recognise businesses that are not just talking about sustainability, but proving it.
“So, this green mark that we have developed today is mainly a marketing icon that we are going to use to recognise businesses, specifically businesses that are operating and are recognising the need to adopt and implement sustainable practices in their businesses,” said Kutlo Moagi, Executive Director – Brand Management at BITC. “The green mark is a variant of the Botswana Pride Mark.”
But while the Pride Mark celebrates local origin and quality, the Green Mark celebrates something more demanding: growth that can be measured.
“It is reserved for growth, measurable action and not just good intentions. Every approved user will be proof of it,” Moagi stressed.
From a national context, she said, the Green Mark identifies businesses choosing to grow while reducing environmental impact and supporting a more sustainable national future. It recognises real steps in lowering carbon footprint, resource conservation, responsible waste management, ecosystem protection, and more sustainable ways of working.
For BITC itself, the launch is also a statement of intent. “We are responsible as well as a corporate entity to make sure that we adopt sustainable ways of working as BITC,” he said.
The initiative is deliberately anchored in Botswana’s larger commitments: Vision 2036’s Sustainable Environment pillar, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and Botswana’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.
“Approved businesses will get a visible, credible way to show they are building a clearer, more resilient Botswana,” Moagi said.
Cutting Through The Green Noise
In a global market flooded with green claims, BITC says Botswana needs a credible filter.
“So, what we’re saying is that the green mark exists to recognise real action by businesses or organisations and possibly even individuals. It also seeks to raise the bar. We need to compete with the rest of the world,” Moagi said.
“We will be using it to back our national ambition for sustainability. We want to promote responsible business practice across key sectors of the economy. So, it is a rally call for businesses, for them to all adopt practices that are representative of ESG and sustainability.”
Crucially, it is designed to help those outside the business, investors, partners and consumers identify who is credible.
“We also want to cut through the noise, help investors, partners, consumers, and identify credible businesses,” she said. “It will be a partnership.”
That partnership, she noted, includes the media. “How does your content support the growth and understanding and knowledge of sustainability?. And then, within your operations group, what then happens to the papers once they’ve been read? Are there any deliberate efforts for you to recover, recycle, and reuse?”
The logic is commercial as much as environmental: “Being a sustainable country with sustainable businesses will protect our brand and will elevate our brand. We will become competitive as a state.”
Visually, BITC did not stray far from what Batswana already trust. The Green Mark retains the Pride Mark’s equity, but adds a new element to the sun: a leaf.
“We did not divert any far from using the Pride Mark. We only added a new element to the sun, which is a leaf. That represents regeneration, growth, environmental responsibility, and the balance between ambition and ecological care,” Moagi explained.
She said the Mark stands for seven things that define a sustainable country: environmental stewardship, carbon conscious business, responsible resource use, regeneration and conservation, and accountable action, and, most importantly, national pride with sustainability.
The Green Mark will not be handed out on application alone. BITC will run a formal application process, backed by proactive identification of businesses already excelling.
“You will note that within the tourism sector, they are quite advanced. They have adopted a lot of green practices within their various areas of operation. The mining sector is another key area where they have also done very well in terms of ESG. Their social impact initiatives that they continue to deliver across the country have been quite impressive. And, we all can learn from them,” Moagi said.
Every applicant must show evidence.
“We will then use a criteria that we have developed to try and identify the evidence that these companies would have applied for. Do they really, really qualify? Do they meet the requirements that we have set?”
Assessment will be internal and rigorous. Where a company meets the standard, it gets approval. Where it does not, BITC will work with it to close the gap.
“We will begin the process to help them to meet the standards that we are trying to communicate. And then, we will continue to monitor the use of the green mark to ensure continuous adherence to the standards as the company progresses.”
The rules protecting the mark are clear: approval is not transferable, it is valid for two years, it is evidence-based, misrepresentation will not be accommodated, monitoring and review will be continuous, and renewal will not be automatic.
“Renewal will not be automatic. We will do assessments every time the company goes through renewal,” Moagi said.
For Moagi, the Green Mark is more than a logo. It is the start of a national education campaign.
“What we are saying here is that we are launching a marketing campaign for Botswana that is going to educate, that is going to create a lot of knowledge, understanding, buy-in, ownership by local businesses, our investors, our Botswana, our SMMEs,” he said.
She returned, in closing, to culture, the reason he believes Botswana can adopt this faster than others.
“I keep telling my students, the one thing about sustainability in Botswana is that it is within the DNA. Our cultural practices are built on sustainable practices. Go back to the material that we use. Go back to how our houses were built using natural resources. Our cultural cuisine, our local cuisine, is all organic and natural,” Moagi said.
“So, that is within the DNA of our culture in Botswana. That is why it is very simple for us to implement.”
The call, then, is for every company, every SMME, every newsroom to find its piece of the puzzle, and earn the leaf in the sun.
