“The crafting world is full of the idea that more is better. We want to change that, showing that higher quality is better, preloved is better, re used and repaired is better” (Jan, co owner of The Snail of Happiness)…
Read More The Snail of Happiness: Circular Crafting and Community Wellbeing in Rural Wales
“Our goal is to leave things better than we found them”. (Shann Nix-Jones, MBE) The mid Wales town of Llandysul, population circa 1300, is the home of the 2022 World Dairy Awards winner of the Best Probiotic Dairy, Chuckling Goat.…
Read More The Chuckling Goat Story: Healing, Holding and Hoping
“We are resilient, ambitious and committed to working together towards a healthier, happier and more prosperous future for our village and the region. Collaboration and determination are at the heart of everything we do”. (Mari Arthur). Dr Justin John, a…
Read More Tetrim Teas: Brewing a Sustainable Future in Wales
“In a time when we have stopped growing and started simply surviving, our individual dimensions of wellness have become unbalanced and, as such, we need a unique, personalized approach to restoring that balance – that of the harmony of wellbeing”…
Read More Kwendalo: A Holistic Haven for Wellness, Education, and Sustainable Entrepreneurship
“Our ambition is to create a world where the value of a company is measured by the good that it does, as much as the profit it makes”. (Will and Nick, Co-founders of Ocean Bottle). Ocean Bottle is a business…
Read More Ocean Bottle: Tackling Ocean Plastic and Empowering Coastal Communities
“We believe that planet, people and profit are all equal when it comes to how we run our business” - Coaltown Coffee The former mining town of Ammanford in South Wales, population circa 5500, is probably the last place in…
Read More Grounds for Success: Coaltown Coffee’s Journey from Garage to Global
“I started Beauty Kitchen to use business as a force for good with an equal weighting on the community, the environment and profit in every decision we make” (Jo-Anne Chidley) In 1995 Jo-Anne Chidley, the co-founder of Beauty Kitchen, graduated…
Read More Beauty with Purpose: Beauty Kitchen & Reposit Leading the Way in Sustainable Skincare
“The very people growing rice are the ones left behind by the industry and society" (Lincoln Lee) It is not just in the rice production sector that the planet and its people are exploited. In the drive to make as…
Read More Rice Inc: Empowering Farmers, Transforming the Rice Industry
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" - Lao Tzu, 5th century Chinese philosopher In the Philippines village women are assembling and selling…
“Many are concerned that modern farming practices are reducing our farming land’s productivity and ecosystem health. Creating a sustainable future is a core part of Câr-y-Môr’s aim" (Owen Haines, co-founder Câr-y-Môr [Love of the Sea]) Câr-y-Môr is a Community Benefit…
Read More Sustainable Seas: The Story of Câr-y-Môr’s Innovative Ocean Farming
“I was working for a large pharmaceutical company, and it was all about profit margins and driving more and more for the shareholders” - Mandy Powell The Goodwash Company is the brainchild of two Welsh international sports people, Mandy Powell…
As a modern business, it is our duty to stand for more than just profit...We're dedicated to helping people, protecting the planet and working together - Greggs. Greggs is a national UK bakery retail business that had, in 2023, a…
Read More Sausage rolls and social goals – Greggs Winning Hearts
Our mission is to help local communities to discover their own natural and cultural heritage treasures…put them into action using sustainable tourism practices in order to gain financial and psychological benefits - Ahmed Yehia The small River Nile island of…
Read More Sustainable Revival: Eco Nubia’s Cultural Renaissance
“Tolerance, inter-cultural dialogue and respect for diversity are more essential than ever in a world where peoples are becoming more and more closely interconnected" - Kofi Annan After being accused of teaching politics to her pupils in Zimbabwe, geography teacher…
“I wanted people to have a safe space where they could come and tell stories and where they could integrate into the wider community’ - Reynette Roberts Oasis Cardiff aims to facilitate the integration of refugees and asylum seekers into…
Read More Oasis Cardiff: Championing Entrepreneurial Spirit for Refugees in Wales
#IWD24 ##InspireInclusion “Business can and does give back and it only takes one small gesture, like offering someone a job, to make such a massive difference” - Donna Griffiths, Business Development Manager, Bouygues UK International Women's Day is a chance…
Read More Refuge to Revolution: Thrive Group Wales Empowering Women with Enterprise
We pour our heart and soul into our work and believe that the greatest achievements are driven by Passion. - Donna Turner-Not, n-ergy I am immensely proud of our caring, inclusive culture, where we set the highest standards and expectations…
Read More n-ergy’s Impact: Education, Peace, and Reintegration
"Innovation and sustainability aren’t just about what we create, but how we create, and who gets to participate in the process." - Sarah and Julia, Co-founders of The Sustainable Studio In Cardiff, a transformative force is reshaping the creative landscape,…
Read More The Sustainable Studio: Empowering Creative Enterprise and Advancing SDG 16
“The business of business should not just be about money, it should be about responsibility. It should be about public good, not personal greed” (Dame Anita Roddick). Possibly the first example of a modern harmonious retail enterprise, The Body Shop…
Read More A Pioneer’s Rise and Ethical Dilemma: A Cautionary Tale of The Body Shop
“The world needs new models of agriculture: farms that are of course productive but also sustainable for many centuries to come; that are resilient—able to adjust to climate change, that are people-friendly, offering plenty of good jobs and supporting local…
Read More Cultivating the Future: Kindling Farm’s Vision for Sustainable, Community-Led Agriculture
“Totally Welsh has always been about more than just dairy for us. The Brand embodies the Welsh community spirit." (John Horsman, General Manager Totally Welsh) Towards the end of the 19th century, milk began to be sold in bottles in…
Read More Sustainable Sips: Totally Welsh Changing Dairy Dynamics
bubbles: Sebastian Sørensen Porth is a town of some 6,000 people located in the Rhonda Valley, the former coal mining region of South Wales. In 1897, two local grocers, William Evans and William Thomas, opened a factory, the Welsh Hills…
“The cards aren’t going to dent the million of tons of plastic entering our rivers and oceans every year but if it helps spread a little love and gets a few people to be a bit more conscious about their…
“We solve the same problems as regular technology companies. We just look to nature for our inspiration and answers” - Eric Puro NutraIngredients 2021 Start-up Award winner KÄÄPÄ Biotech: ‘Our passion led to the win!’20-Dec-2021 By Will Chu Founded in 2018,…
Read More Kääpä Biotech: Nature-Inspired Medicinal Mushrooms
“I promise to keep sustainability as a key part of our business strategy and to continually promote sustainability to our members, our partners, and our hoteliers. Through these means and through our future innovations, I think it is vital for…
Read More Sustainable Suitehearts: Mr & Mrs Smith Craft Luxury Hotels with a Conscience
“We’re surrounded by the systems of the natural world that, when left untouched, know exactly how to self-balance, self-regulate, self-cleanse and restore harmony” - 1st Hotels American billionaire Barry Sternlicht graduated in 1982 from Brown University and obtained an MBA from Harvard…
Read More From Wall Street to Green Street: The Evolution of 1st Hotels
"At Bee1, we believe that the most sustainable solutions arise at the intersection of education, innovation, and social responsibility." - Bee1 Mark Douglas, former Director of NatWest Bank across Wales and the Chairman/Founder of NatWest Cymru, transitioned from shaping a…
Read More Bee1’s Trailblazing Path Fostering Climate Awareness in School
“We need to be more responsible about the environment, the economy, the people. Because now more than ever it is more than a necessity it is an emergency” - Dr.Carmen Hijosa In India, Fleather, a leather substitute, is being made…
I’m always intrigued by how creative the people are. When I go home and try to come up with my own designs, I can’t come even close. - Manar Moursi There are an estimated 20 million palm trees in Egypt.…
Read More Baladi Home and Studio Meem: promoting artisan entrepreneurship in Egypt
“You look at things you enjoy in your life, but much more important is what you can do to make the world a better place” - Paul Allen, 1953-2018 Located on a 2,000-metre-high ridge overlooking the Masai Mara national game…
“Love Cocoa and H!P Chocolate are at the forefront of sustainable chocolate innovation” - Richard Koch, British Entrepreneur, Management Consultant and Angel Investor The name Cadbury is world famous, especially in the world of chocolate and confectionery. The Quaker, John…
“We believe in supporting a form of agriculture which will ensure our, and future, generations will have choice and opportunity…” Lucy Watson and Ben Pratt Lampeter, a small university market town in mid-Wales, has a history of sustainable organic food…
Read More Watson & Pratt’s: where shopping is social & produce is local
“I always work with as many local producers as I can to source local, seasonal and organic produce. I am proud to call these suppliers my friends and love the opportunity to create exciting dishes with them” - Deri Reed…
Read More Deri Reed’s Culinary Journey for Community and Planet
“Everything that exists on earth is part of a natural cycle. The problem with plastic is that it does not belong to any of these cycles” - Scott Munguia. In 2014 Scott Munguia, a Chemical Engineering student, founded Biofase in…
“Welsh bees have evolved over millions of years to survive and prosper in our fickle climate. If nature has decreed Welsh bees suitable for our country, then why go against it?” - Peter Jenkins, Lampeter Beekeeper Increasingly universities are being…
“Producing high quality food, looking after the environment, managing air and water quality, enhancing biodiversity and wildlife and taking care of our most valuable asset -SOIL – is what we as farmers should be doing. We are on this planet…
Read More Nature Friendly Farming, Esgairllaethdy Farm, Myddfai
“Johnny’s contribution to the Cairndow area transformed it from a place with few jobs, a dwindling population and little ambition to a thriving, forward thinking community” (Virginia Sumsion, Johnny Noble’s niece). Loch Fyne is a Scottish sea loch or lake…
Read More Loch Fyne Oysters: Empowering Communities, Restoring Oyster Waters
“I used to channel my energies into the wrong things. I was successful but now I know that if I had channelled my energies into something positive I could have succeeded there too”. (Cooper an ex-offender and Tap Social employee)…
Read More Tap Social: Brewing Change Through Beer, Baking & Second Chances
“The truth is that few companies are making the changes required to their business practices to make the urgent impact we need…” - Tim Etherington-Judge Stephanie Jordan and Tim Etherington-Judge launched Avallen Spirits, a private producer of Calvados (a cider brandy…
Read More Avallen Spirits: The Planet-Positive Spirit Brand with moral purpose
“The sustainable equilibrium of our planet is facing huge challenges. But at The Wellbeing Farm, we are working to create a solution, and to make our green story even greener”. (Celia Gaze) Who would have thought a wedding and corporate…
“We have to think big. Who would have thought 20 years ago we'd have got where we are now". (Dr. Matthew O'Callaghan, OBE) In 2015, food historian Dr Matthew O’Callaghan, Chairman of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association, was awarded…
Read More Reviving Rural Economies: The Inspiring Story of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association
Recently there has been a change in customer buying patterns with many also wanting to buy sustainable and local products” (Eifion Griffiths). While many businesses claim that sustainability does not fit with the business case and consumers do not demand…
Read More Melin Tregwynt: The Revival of Welsh Wool Production and Sustainability
Jean image Source: http://www.albionman.com/ “Companies with a soul are so much more interesting than companies motivated purely by profit" (David Hieatt) In 1995 at the age of 36, David Hieatt co-founded Howies, a niche active clothing business that wanted to produce…
We are a small company with a turnover of £3 million, but we are making an impact way beyond our size. The manufacturing industry is beginning to wake up and take notice of the climate and ecological emergency around us,…
Read More Crystal Doors Fostering Sustainability and Community Growth
“We need a future for cocoa farming which is sustainable- not just for chocolate companies and chocolate lovers but for the people growing the crop” (Sophi Tranchell, MBE, Group CEO Divine Chocolate UK, 1999-2020) Each year, some $100 billion is…
“Towards a pollution-free planet with a pollution-free process" - Kristaps Cirius, CMO TerraWaste Largely as a result of man's entrepreneurial innovativeness, we produce 2.01 billion tonnes of waste a year, 86% of which is non-recyclable, and, as a result of…
“We strive to work within and in harmony with the ecosystem rather than attempting to radically alter and control it” (Jemma Vickers and Paul Rolt) Hebron vineyard, located on the Pembrokeshire/Carmarthenshire border in the foothills of the Preseli mountains in West Wales,…
“We are all intertwined yet we, humans have the biggest affect, and not always in a good way” (Dr Rhodri Owen). Symbolically bees are associated with love and romance and are considered to be guardians of the natural world. As…
“In such seclusion, so far from the pressures under which most people live, I had the feeling that something new, some fresh and saner way of living might be demonstrated” (Gerard Morgan-Grenville 1931-2009). Located in a 100-year-old disused slate quarry…
Cornish Clotted Cream – the food of the Gods (former Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, 1809-1898) In the UK, according to the 1935 Goodheart, Sigler and Hoffman song “everything stops for tea” but not only that - on the last…
Read More Rodda’s clotted cream cultivates community spirit and charity
In 2021, 30-year-old Vidyut Mohar, an India Engineering entrepreneur and Sustainability graduate of the Delft University of Technology, won the inaugural Earthshot prize with his business partner, Dr Kevin Kung, a biological engineering graduate of MIT. In 2015, they had…
“Focus on the team first, then the customer, then the investor and expect from your team what you expect from yourself. You can achieve a lot, but you are only human” - Dr. Kyle Grant Each year the £70bn garment…
“If everybody in the world consumed resources at the rate we do in the UK, we would need 3.5 planets to sustain us” This was the realisation that prompted three friends, Emma Shaw, Rebecca Trevalyan, and Sophia Wyatt to start…
“We aim to build a strong resilient community that can cope with the challenges of a rapidly changing planet” - ZERO Carbon Guildford. On 21st November 2021, Zero Carbon Guildford was opened in the centre of Guildford, a university town…
“These are difficult times and we wanted to chip in where we could” - Kushal Gurun. Kushal Gurung of Nepal is not just a Carbon Management Masters graduate of Edinburgh University, but a serial entrepreneur back home in Nepal. He…
“Every time I see an adult on a bicycle I no longer despair for the future of the human race” - H.G. Wells, 1866-1946 XO Bikes is not a business with a purpose it is a purpose with a business.…
At a time when global food prices are rising higher and faster than at any time in the last decade, an estimated 1.6 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year. About one-third of the food produced globally contributes some 8…
“The best way to help a community is to give it the faith and knowledge to help itself” - New Scientist, 2nd August, 1962 Rosario, estimated population 1.7 million, is located 300kms (186 miles) North West of Buenos Aires, Argentina.…
Read More Rosario Garden Project: urban regeneration seeds hope
The world can be extremely cruel. While the planet is home to some 7.9 billion people, it can also cause considerable human suffering as can the human population itself. Not only do natural disasters bring suffering but so does man’s…
wastes pic: Bath.ac.uk While research is intended to identify solutions to problems, laboratory-based research can also contribute to them, in particular to the current sustainability challenge. Annually some 5.5 million tonnes of single-use plastic is produced by life sciences research…
Read More LabCycle – revolutionising the recycling of Laboratory Plastic Waste
bottle pic: by tanvi sharma “If bottles were made of gold, nobody would litter them in nature” - Eric Schaffner The damage that plastics can do to the environment is well documented. One million plastic bottles are produced a minute…
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. Formerly known a SIFE (Students into Free Enterprise) Enactus is the world’s largest experiential learning platform.…
Read More Egyptian University ‘Chito-Shrimp’ feeds multiple sustainability projects
After graduating in 2001 with an M.A. in Modern Languages from the University of Oxford, Christian Arno set up “Lingo24” a B2B technology-enabled translation service which grew into a £10 million business employing 200 full-time staff in the UK, Netherlands, New…
According to the World Health organisation, 1.3 million people die each year from car crashes caused by human error, while some 4.5 million people are estimated to die from the effects of air pollution and the particulate matter produced, particularly…
Read More Riding the Wayve for sustainable, accessible, and safer mobility
Having worked as a multinational company project manager for 10 years, but never having felt that she fitted in there, Dasha Kichuk founded Kyiv-based Effa1 in 2018 in partnership with her industrial designer husband, Ilya, a graduate of Kharkiv State…
“Why go back to normal when you can go back to better?” - Ruth Anslow HISBE (How it Should Be) is a community of interest (CIC) supermarket in the coastal town of Brighton in West Sussex, England founded by Jack…
In 2019 20-year-old Abigail Chamberlain of Chepstow founded the Welsh Luxury Hamper Company Ltd. to showcase the quality products on offer in Wales. Because of her dyslexia, Abigail left university where she was studying music and enrolled on a different…
Read More Welsh Luxury Hamper Co. showcasing local businesses
"We believe the closer people are to nature, the more they will protect it" - Vivobarefoot Founded in 2012, Vivobarefoot is an innovative London-based shoe company whose pedigree dates back almost 200 years. In 1825 in the village of Street in…
“We care deeply about our people, our customers and our planet” (Baukjen de Swaan Arons). The House of Baukjen is a family-run women’s slow fashion business located in North West London. It comprises two branches, the core brand, Baukjen, and their…
"I want to see people feeling that they're proud of working for [Burns Pet Nutrition Ltd] and [for them to] put that bit extra in, in terms of the activities we're engaged in" - John Burns In the heart of rural…
“Young entrepreneurs and innovators are working hard to create a low carbon energy market” - Jeremiah Thoronka Mankind needs an alternative to fossil fuels. Solar, wind and water-generated energy are all possibilities, but with the present technology, they can be…
Humanity is the washerwoman of our society that wrings out its laundry in tears - Karl Klaus, 1874-1936 The handwashing of clothes is a simple but time-consuming and energy-sapping task that has been a significant source of invention for centuries.…
"If GM (General Motors) had kept up with technology as the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG" - Bill Gates “Buy cars and other products that have the least impact environmentally” -…
Kay Luan Tay, the recent Vice Chancellor of the International University Malaya-Wales and author of three book on Social and Business Sustainability has wide but unique experience in managing and delivering value across both commercial and non-commercial enterprise. A strong…
Read More GEW2021 interview: the mind behind the investing in others for sustainable futures
Bev is an experienced practitioner in enterprise, social enterprise, gender equality and rural development/community. She has been and continues to be instrumental in ensuring that the role of women in Wales is consistently enhanced and progressed. As a special GEW2021 deep-dive,…
Read More GEW2021 interview: the mind behind Women in Enterprise in Wales
The extraction of oil, coal, and minerals brought, and still brings, a cost to the environment -- Irish singer/songwriter, Bono, 1960 A HES case study based in Wales to celebrate #GEW2021. Wales, often referred to as “the land of song”…
“Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill” (Stephen Hawking, 1942-2018). One aspect of the sustainability challenge, all too frequently…
Read More Float8, sustainable and cost-effective solutions to land shortage
oil pic credit: Pixabay “The entrepreneur shifts economic resources out of an area of lower and into an area of higher productivity and greater yield” - John-Baptiste Say (1767-1832) Today Argan oil is considered the most effective anti-ageing oil in…
The tragic scenes of refugees fleeing from war-torn Afghanistan bring home, all too vividly, the plight of the “barefoot entrepreneurs” – those people who live ”primarily in marginal, poor and excluded places and contexts” (Imas et al. 2012). While the problem is…
Antur Cymru (Welsh Adventure) is a social enterprise providing support for businesses in Wales. Owned by shareholders in the community who do not profit individually from their investment, they have agreed surpluses should be reinvested in the company. It was…
Read More “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world” (Margaret Mead)
Empowering women to work and have more freedom in how they dress is the aim of “Modest Trends”, a Cardiff-based clothing business stocking fashionable lines intended for generation M Muslim women, aged 16-35, who want to dress fashionably but in accordance…
Originating in the 16th century, but not becoming commonplace until after William Murdoch’s invention of the gaslight in 1802, street lights are now regarded as an essential feature of modern living. Not only do they aid security but they contribute…
Read More “May it be a light to you in dark places when all other lights go out” (J.R.R. Tolkein)
WaterLight (E-Dina) According to SDG 7, by 2030 the aim is to “ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”. The problem is that in 2021, only 9 years away, some 940 million people (13% of the…
Beer is one of the oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic drinks in the world. Its origin dates back some 5000 years, possibly more, and by 2018 188.79 million kilolitres were being consumed, the equivalent of approximately 298.2 billion bottles. However,…
Read More “He was a wise man who invented beer” (Plato, 427-347 BC).
Seaweed is an extremely versatile and important product. Amongst others it is a food, a fertiliser, a medicine, a fuel, a cosmetic and, significantly, a vital element in the ocean ecosystem, producing oxygen, absorbing nutrients and providing a habitat for…
Read More Notpla: God created seaweed…The seaweed made the world”
Despite its image of pure, unpolluted mountain air, the air quality in Nepal is one of the worst in the world, particularly in the country’s capital city, Kathmandu. Here the incidence of smog is five times greater than it was…
Though a profound invention that has impacted significantly on modern society, plastics are a major sustainability challenge as they do not decompose and contribute to environmental problems both on land and in the sea, as well as to the health…
Read More “There’s a way to do it better – Find it” (Thomas Edison (1847-1931)
Water pollution: Brian Yurasits, 2019 How did a meal in Glasgow lead to the UK’s first green debit card made from recycled ocean plastic? Well, it is quite simple, over a meal with a friend, one of the co-founders of…
For two student entrepreneurs, Josh Shefner and Claire Friona, long-established idioms are a living reality. Both are students of Engineering at Milwaukee School of Engineering, and both are passionate about poverty elimination and the eradication of waste. They are also…
Read More “Waste not want not” (1772, idiom) or “wilful waste makes woeful want” (1576, idom)
In the USA it is estimated that trucks/lorries (Heavy Goods Vehicles/HGVs) account for 5% of the number of vehicles on the road but 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, while in Europe the Environment Agency estimates that HGVs…
Read More An Innovative UK solution to the Global Pollution Problem Caused by Urban Trucking
(Image credit: North Wales Police) In an attempt to limit the spread of Covid-19, it has become law in many countries for people to wear disposable face masks. 129 billion face masks are being used globally each month and in…
Read More The world is green and beautiful, and we are its custodians
Outside of Wales few people know of Karen Davies but in South Wales, she does what Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank do in Bangladesh. Through her not-for-profit microfinance social enterprise, “Purple Shoots”, which she established in…
Nepal, population 28.61 million, is a factor-driven economy meaning it relies on its people and natural resources. Over 55% of the population is under the age of 25 and there are some 450,000 students enrolled at different universities in the…
Read More Latika Golyan demonstrates the need for graduate entrepreneurs in Nepal
As a result of urban-rural migration and the demand for second homes in the countryside, there is a shortage of affordable social housing in Wales, and, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, this is contributing significantly to the level of…
In the mid 19th century the Harmonious Entrepreneur Sir Titus Salt built Saltaire, a Yorkshire industrial village that is now a UNESCO world heritage site (harmonious-entrepreneurship.org). 166 years later, in 2016, Saltaire produced another harmonious enterprise. Dr Jackie Mulligan, a…
In 2016, three entrepreneurs from Copenhagen, Leeds and Paris co-founded “Too Good To Go” (http://toogoodtogo.org) a social impact company intended to address the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12 Sustainable. Consumption and Production, also supporting 13 Climate Action. Globally 1.3 billion…
The world population is growing at around 83 million people a year or 1.1 per cent. Apart from needing space to accommodate such a population increase, there is another major problem facing the planet. The topsoil responsible for supplying 95%…
Read More Solving one global problem but creating others: the need for Harmonious Entrepreneurship
Located in the lush valley of the river Cych in rural mid-Wales, Caws Cenarth is one of the most renowned artisan cheese producers in the UK. Like so much entrepreneurship its origins were founded in adversity. In 1984, the European…
Globally tourism accounts for 10.3 per cent of GDP and some 330 million jobs. Thus, it contributes significantly to income generation and job creation and is set to grow further. Traditionally, however, it has not been eco-friendly. Apart from the…
Read More Harmonious Entrepreneurship and the Tourism Industry
Dr Laila Iskander Dr Laila is a former Egyptian Minister of the Environment and founder of CID (Community and International Development) Group, a consulting firm that “strives to create holistic growth solutions by bridging corporate and development objectives”. In 1994 she…
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