Francis Gurry led WIPO as Director General from October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2020.

WIPO GREEN: 100 Partners and Counting as World-Renowned Members Join

February 11, 2020

WIPO’s environmental initiative is welcoming a new group of major international companies and institutions, surpassing 100 partners in the global network of public and private sector organizations committed to reducing the effects of climate change.

In late December 2019, WIPO GREEN’s network welcomed its 100th partner, Panasonic, reaching the milestone by adding a number of large multinational corporations and important research institutes, including:

Leaders in both the private and public sectors recognize the urgent need for joint solutions and WIPO GREEN’s recent growth shows how different types of actors can work together towards a greener future.

WIPO Director General, Francis Gurry
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What is WIPO GREEN?

WIPO GREEN is WIPO’s public-private partnership focused on advancing innovation and international technology exchange to increase the use of environmentally friendly technologies. It unites green tech innovators and those searching for green solutions, public and private entities supporting climate-friendly tech, as well as experts in green innovation and other relevant fields.

“Climate change continues to move up the international policy agenda and I am pleased that WIPO GREEN facilitates the sharing of IP to help combat this global challenge,” said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry.

What does WIPO GREEN do?

As an online marketplace for sustainable technology, WIPO GREEN facilitates connections between providers of green solutions (i.e. entities that develop environmentally friendly technologies) and seekers (i.e. institutions looking for a green solution to a particular problem, such as sustainable access to water or climate-friendly sanitation management PDF, climate-friendly sanitation management).

WIPO GREEN Database

Today, the WIPO GREEN database – the initiative’s principal tool to connect providers and seekers across the world – contains over 3,000 technologies and needs from almost 1,500 users, including: 

Access to and registration in the database are free of charge for both non-profit and for-profit organisations, following a two-step registration process.

Acceleration projects

Every year WIPO GREEN organizes short-term regional projects to accelerate innovation and technology diffusion on the ground. Currently, Acceleration Project 2019 is still ongoing in Argentina, Brazil and Chile, exploring challenges and opportunities for climate-smart agriculture in Latin America.

Animated GIF listing WIPO GREEN database technologies by spheres

WIPO GREEN partners

Since its launch in 2013, WIPO GREEN has created a wide network of international actors involved in climate-change mitigation and adaptation. This cross-sectoral group of partners includes inter-governmental organizations, trade and business associations, multinational corporations, government and financing institutions, universities and research centres, etc.

“The partners’ network is at the center of WIPO GREEN’s ability to mobilize practical action to address climate change,” said Amy Dietterich, Director of WIPO’s Global Challenges Division, which manages WIPO GREEN.

Animated GIF showing worldwide locations of WIPO GREEN acceleration projects, partners, experts, etc.

To join the network, partners must contribute to at least one of the following areas: database growth, technical assistance or financial support for climate-friendly innovation, policy dialogue or research on green innovation.

We recognize the outstanding contributions of the many partners that help to build valuable green-technology collaborations, and thank these cutting-edge Japanese companies for their firm commitment to address the urgent environmental challenges facing the world today.

Amy Dietterich, WIPO

Many of the new partners are contributing their green innovations to the WIPO GREEN database, including 28 green products from Canon Inc. and 24 energy technologies from Konica Minolta.

Momentum for green technology

Recognizing increasing global support for climate-related initiatives, WIPO’s flagship campaign – World Intellectual Property Day – in 2020 will explore climate-friendly innovation “for a green future”. To celebrate World IP Day 2020 with WIPO GREEN, join the initiative or contact WIPO GREEN team directly.