After years of framework development, metric definition, and data collection, many investors are increasingly able to anticipate, measure, and manage the social and environmental results of their investments. Many of these practices are now codified in frameworks such as the Operating Principles for Impact Management. But for investors to play an even
The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the business community, and we have not yet seen the end of the economic impact of this global crisis. While my heart breaks for every job lost and every business that has to close its doors, I’m encouraged by every story of business leaders who are retooling their models to
As I scan the ideas-for-good sprawled across tabs on my computer screen—from a mobile grocery store to solve food deserts to a mental health app to encourage kids processing trauma to an app to connect the incarcerated with loved ones and families—the job of whittling down the applicant pool gets much harder because of the
When all the UN Member States adopted the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, this marked the beginning of a journey aiming to unite all actors under the same umbrella in driving an equitable future for all, enabling thriving economies and living in harmony with the environment.
Ever since, sustainability has started to
When it comes to sustainable finance, we’re still on the frontier of the Wild West. It’s a place of untold potential, romance, chaos and the vast unknown. As the climate crisis unfolds, interest from investors in this fertile ground is reaching fever pitch. Yet the current green rush has the potential to turn into a
In today’s work environment, it’s no longer enough to simply bring home a paycheck. In a survey of millennial and Gen-Z workers conducted by Deloitte, three-quarters of those interviewed said they believe that multinational corporations are in a position to solve the vasty array of economic, social and environmental challenges facing the world.
The
Solving the most pressing issues of our time has a colossal price tag. Today, the global impact investing market has reached $502 billion – which is excellent – but that’s nowhere near the $5 to $7 trillion that’s needed to achieve the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals over the coming decade. Whether it’s feeding the
Impact investing is a further evolution of the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into investment strategies alongside an overriding desire to ‘do good’ by delivering a social and total return.
Although impact investing has to date largely been seen outside the real estate asset class, institutional and private investors are increasingly looking at property
In the investing world, there’s always a hot new narrative. The narrative typically takes the form of an innovative product, a sector rotation or an “inevitable” theme. One narrative that I’ve been particularly interested in for the past couple of years is that of ESG investing. Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is the discipline
For all the negative and pessimistic news out there, there is a lot of good being done in the world which can serve as a source of hope. One sector which is on the rise and working to create solutions to many of our world’s greatest challenges is that of social enterprises.
Social enterprises are
In 2015 Samuel Kalika was looking to set up a creative project in Portugal. But his idea “completely tilted”, he says, when he arrived and saw the extent of poor-quality housing in the country, contributing to high mortality rates in winter. Today, he’s the founder and director of Critical Concrete, a company that researches and
How popular is ESG-themed investing? It’s estimated that over $20 trillion is invested in assets because of their favored for their environmental, social and/or governance (ESG) characteristics, including over $8 trillion in the U.S.
Here’s another indicator of the growing interest in ESG investment: This year’s Sustainable Investing Conference sponsored by Gitterman Wealth Management had 570
We are living in an era of purpose-driven brands championing social impact: but how does a brand go beyond a tear-jerking TV ad to create sustainable positive change? One of the biggest paradoxes brands often face in tackling this problem is scale vs. impact. Advertising provides scale but little tangible social impact (beyond helping to
The business terrain is one that changes much faster than most — basically because the way business is done evolves based on cultural changes, changes in technology and even generational changes. It’s safe to say that at all times, at least one of these things is changing.
We are in the era of giving back and social
Ten student teams with inventions to improve people’s lives worldwide — from portable ventilators for resource-strapped hospitals, to wheelchair cushions that prevent sores, to multipurpose sleeping bags for refugees — on Saturday split awards totaling $92,500 at the annual MIT IDEAS Global Challenge showcase and awards ceremony.
Grand prize winner of $15,000 went to Umbulizer, a
“Why don’t we get credit for all the good things we do?” the CEO of a major global corporation asked me recently. After all, the company has innovative and impactful programs to ensure safe working conditions; training programs to help low-wage workers in its supply chain increase their earnings; numerous environmental initiatives to reduce its
The impact investing movement can create history so that our children and grand-children proudly ask “what went right?”instead of “what went wrong?” Maybe it will help us forget that perhaps man’s greatest invention, money, ever became man’s greatest malady. With impact investing, some of the things we could change can include the social injustice meted
In a recent client meeting, financial advisor Stephen Rischall got asked about how to invest in companies that support gender equality and women’s issues in the workplace. Think of it as a #MeToo moment. “The client said that because of the attention on the #MeToo movement and the power behind it, he wanted to invest,”
The rich textual data contained in years worth of fellowship applications provides a unique opportunity to analyze the pool of applications and perhaps gain insights into trends and what makes applicants successful in achieving social impact. We believe such insights could help the broader community of social entrepreneurs to better direct their efforts and magnify
Although social entrepreneurship has become a popular rallying point for those trying to improve the world, social change can happen outside of them. As a matter of fact, solutions have historically come from the nonprofit, private, and government sectors.
The concept of social innovation focuses attention on the ideas and solutions