Impact Credits Can Revolutionize Poverty Alleviation
From Good Intentions to Proven Impact As the world contends with rising poverty, climate change, and declining trust in institutions, businesses are searching for new ways to deliver measurable social impact. Yet, most corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts still rely on vague metrics or one-time donations. A promising alternative is emerging: impact credits—a model that transforms […]
Enabling a Fairer Transition and Climate Response
AXA XL is committed to supporting its clients and playing its own part in the transition to a low carbon economy and resiliency in response to the changing climate. We recognise that there will be multiple transitions taking place around the world, at differing speeds and in different ways. To be successful, those transitions will […]
Beyond Buzzwords: A Portfolio Approach to Value, Purpose, and Performance
In this moment of global volatility—marked by fragile economies, eroding public trust, and escalating supply chain shocks—companies face a critical choice: retreat from sustainability or reimagine how they lead. The most forward-looking ones are doing neither. Instead, they are building resilience by designing an integrated portfolio approach to impact—aligning their financial tools, philanthropic capital, marketing, […]
Progress Has Stalled in Closing the Mobile Internet Gender Gap; Why Does it Matter, and What Can We Do?
In today’s increasingly connected world, mobile phones and mobile internet can transform lives by providing connectivity, information, healthcare, education, e-commerce, financial services and income opportunities from anywhere. Mobile remains the primary – and often only – way that people in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) access the internet, especially women.The mobile internet gender gap. While more […]
In the Face of Headwinds, Look to Partnerships
Exploring Different Types of Partnerships There are many ways to partner, but I will outline three strategies that I’ve seen used most commonly: Strategic Resource and Information Sharing For organizations looking to build up partnerships through a relatively low-effort approach, resource and information sharing is a great place to start. This could include participating in […]
Unlocking the “Missing Middle”: A New Agenda to De-risk Youth Entrepreneurship and Drive Economic Growth
Youth Entrepreneurship: A Missed Opportunity for Sustainable Economic Growth Across the world, young entrepreneurs are building businesses with the potential to transform economies — creating jobs, driving innovation, and strengthening resilience. Yet far too many are stuck in the “missing middle”: too big for microfinance, too small or risky for mainstream investors. The result? Their […]
Turning Potential into Prosperity – How Business Can Help Refugees Thrive
Europe is home to 25.6 million forcibly displaced people, including 13.6 million refugees (1). With the intensification of climate change and the persistence of conflict and instability in the world, the number of refugees and forcibly displaced people is only going to grow. The business case for integrating migrants more broadly into the global economy […]
Online Gender-Based Violence Limits Global Economic Growth, Research Reveals.
Read the full report “Empowered or Undermined: Women Entrepreneurs & the Digital Economy” The business world is now online, but so is men’s violence. In a time where customers, suppliers, and financiers are increasingly connecting through digital platforms, businesses simply can’t afford to stay offline. However, women business owners often encounter gendered barriers that hold […]
EU Anti-Greenwashing Law is Developing Fast: Credible Sustainability Systems Can Maximise its Potential
Environmental claims are crucial because they drive consumer choices. Over time, the hope is that sustainable products gain a larger market share, and consumer choices can drive positive impacts. But as the green transition hastened, corporate greenwashing confused consumers, fracturing this positive market process. Now, through the GCD, governments and companies are stepping up to […]
How Garment, Footwear and Textile Businesses Can Improve Women Workers’ Career Advancement
The global garment, footwear, and textiles industry is facing a growing wave of disruption—from climate change and automation to shifting trade patterns and increasing demands for equity and transparency. As these pressures reshape the future of work, they present not only significant challenges but also an opportunity to reimagine advancement and leadership in the sector […]
Reducing Child Labour in Palm Oil: A Model for Business-NGO Collaboration
How a unique collaboration between a palm oil Business and two NGOs, one in the UK, the other in Sierra Leone, has seen child labour plummet. Over the past three years, APT Action on Poverty (APT), a UK‐based NGO with extensive experience in addressing rural poverty, has worked in partnership with Planting Naturals, a Dutch […]
Why We Must Bring “Development” Back into Sustainability Conversation More Than Ever
Right now, we’re seeing companies pull back from ESG. Some of this reflects today’s evolving political landscape, but there’s a deeper issue at play: for many, sustainability efforts still feel distant from their everyday realities. Above all, people care about their everyday lives getting better. Prioritising “sustainability” over “development” fuels inequality and risks overall progress […]
Bridging Divides: Rethinking Collaboration amid Global Crises
The world is undergoing significant transition, from rapidly evolving geopolitical tensions and the rise of artificial intelligence to the long-term impacts of climate change and societal polarisation. The global economy too is in a state of flux in light of sweeping tariffs. Faced with these complex and interconnected challenges, a collective effort is needed – […]
Closing the Healthcare Gap: Scaling Hybrid Solutions for Low-income Communities
Primary healthcare is the foundation of any resilient health system. Yet, in many low- and middle-income countries, that foundation remains dangerously thin. Clinics are too few as there are just 0.7 hospital beds per 1,000 people in lower-income countries, compared to 5.6 in high-income ones. Additionally, for many people, cost and distance put even basic […]
Building Credibility for Equity and Livelihoods: Foundations for Fairer Futures
Why is improving equity and livelihoods so complicated? Imagine an African farmer. His income arises not from one crop, but many. All are differently priced. He does additional part-time labour; he needs the extra money as inflation is soaring while harvests aren’t guaranteed. Defining his fair wage, amid fast-changing currency values set against market volatility, […]
Power Through Partnerships: How Learning Networks Drive Success for Women Entrepreneurs
Women entrepreneurs are playing an increasingly pivotal role in driving global economic growth. Their innovation, resilience, and determination continue to shape industries and communities alike. Yet despite their growing impact, women-owned small businesses often face persistent barriers – particularly when it comes to accessing finance. Addressing these systemic challenges demands collaboration across sectors, and one powerful approach […]
Trust, Transparency and Impact: How Credibility Offers Vital Solutions to the World’s Most Pressing Problems
Credibility is a transformative foundation for solutions tackling the world’s biggest issues, across climate change, biodiversity loss, human rights, living wage and livelihoods. That’s why credibility is at the heart of ISEAL’s work. Credibility is critical for impactful sustainability systems “Credibility is not just a nice to have,” begins Patrick Mallet, ISEAL’s Innovations Director. “It’s […]
Our Path to Sustainability Must Include Women: Lessons from Cotton Farming and Climate Resilience
Kaumudiben Satishbhai Tadvi hails from the Vyadhar Village nestled in the district of Gujarat, on the western coast of India. Here, she works diligently alongside her family to sow and harvest cotton, while also cultivating pigeon peas and practicing animal husbandry. In recent years, she has witnessed a rise in unpredictable rainfall, strong winds and […]
Creating a Culture of Impact: How Thinking Like A Pro Athlete Can Help Businesses Drive Meaningful Change
In today’s dynamic landscape of corporate social responsibility, businesses face an unprecedented opportunity: to transform their workplace cultures from profit-driven environments into ecosystems that deliver meaningful positive impact—while sustaining profitable growth. In the modern business world, true brand power transcends sales revenue. It lies in the change you create. Companies that make tangible, positive differences […]
Climate Action Through Market Systems: Why Businesses Need a Systems Development Approach
I (…a Business Fights Poverty ‘collaborator’ from the development space) joined the recent community event to discuss ‘actions for 2025’ because I was keen to see how far up the agenda the commitment to climate and environmental issues would sit (in the face of growing skepticism from certain quarters). I was inspired to hear that […]