Beyond Certification: The Systemic Impacts of Sustainability Standards
In recent years, understanding of the impacts of sustainability standards has been increasing. ISEAL members have invested significantly in monitoring and evaluation systems, and various organisations have commissioned research into the impacts of standards and certification. A growing body of evidence points to the positive changes that can occur when farms, forests, fisheries and other […]
International Retail Therapy Creates New Jobs
“Bpeace is aiming to prevent poverty and violence and that is what I’m trying to do, too.” Martha Estrada knew she had a solid business, but she needed advice. Enter Nat Love, an experienced retail executive from Grand Rapids, Michigan, who was looking for a meaningful mentorship experience. He was introduced to Bpeace through his […]
Towards Solving the SDG’s Funding Gap: UNEP FI’s Positive Impact Initiative
UNEP FI’s Positive Impact Initiative proposes a new approach: social, economic and environmental impacts have an as-yet under explored potential to generate financial revenues: impact-based business models can be developed, with the delivery of positive impacts as a driver of sustainable business growth and long-term enterprise value. This could be game-changing: by making it cheaper […]
Partnerships – All Talk and No Action?
Partnerships can be costly and complex, and often they don’t deliver their intended goals, but this is not because there is anything inherently wrong with the approach. The usual problem with partnerships is that they are too rarely used effectively. And, they are often over-hyped: they are seen by some as a panacea for the […]
It’s Time to Move: 5 Ways We Can Upgrade Our SDG Navigation Systems
We invite you to visit the streets of New York during the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the annual meeting where leaders from across the world, from all sectors and all impact domains, come together to expedite their progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These leaders and their entourages converge on the same stretches of […]
The 6 Market Gaps the Finance Sector Must Address to Help Meet the SDGs
On 30 September 2015, the global community, represented by all 193 member states of the UN, adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Three months later, world leaders charted a new course in our battle against climate change with the Paris Agreement which – for the first time – brought all nations into a common cause […]
Toilets, Not Poverty Traps
Cambodia has made remarkable progress in developing its sanitation. The proportion of households having access to toilets leaped from 23% to 68% in the last 10 years. Since 2011, iDE has been involved, training hundreds of entrepreneurs to manufacture and deliver attractive low-cost toilets for their community. Combined with our sanitation marketing demand-creation efforts, these […]
Personal Actions that Everyone Can Take to Support the SDGs
Animated emojis aren’t normally the way that WBCSD presents its work to its members. Publications, tools, case studies – these are how we normally get our message across to business leaders around the world. And yet, in recent weeks we’ve found ourselves regularly pressing play to start an animation of 17 of the most adorable […]
5 Ways to Make Your Organisation a Great Sustainability Partner
The vision is clear and compelling: a world in which business prospers, societies thrive and the environment flourishes. Leaders from across all sectors understand the interconnectedness of their interests, drop zero-sum-game mentality and work tirelessly together to create ever-increasing value for all. No longer the preserve of a few “progressive” companies, business writ large is […]
VIDEOS: Business Fights Poverty NYC 2018
During our annual Business Fights Poverty gathering, marking the beginning of the UN General Assembly in New York, we brought together 200 professionals from business and the development community to hear the latest leading insights; discuss the most pressing societal challenges and the ways our organisations can proactively engage; whilst launching three new pieces of research […]
NEW REPORTS: Intrapreneurship, Partnerships, Refugees and Education
Business Fights Poverty continues, as it has done over the past decade, to be the network for the private sector and its partners to unlock new opportunities for social impact. This work continues at pace and over the past month, not only did we host our annual UN General Assembly side event with 200 professionals […]
The Role of Business in Education for Sustainable Development
Education is at the heart of human progress and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It enables people to build better lives and equips business and society to address our world’s interconnected issues and opportunities. A new report launched today demonstrates how business can help people gain the skills and knowledge to advance sustainable development, […]
Building Transformational Partnerships the Case of Cargill and CARE
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—the internationally-agreed goals for people and planet—encapsulate a vision for the world we want to see. It is widely recognised that if we are to deliver on this vision, and defend progress already made, we must all—business, civil society and government—partner more effectively and more deeply than ever. The corporate-NGO business […]
Building Scalable and Self-Sustaining Safe Water Enterprises
Imagine a life without safe drinking water. It isn’t easy. Most of us take for granted that we can just turn on a tap and fill a glass. But that’s not an option for roughly one in four of the world’s population — the 2.1 billion people who still lack access to safe drinking water […]
Partnerships Cultivate Change in the Niger Delta
Economic development is inherently unstable, and the ebbs and flows of progress can be unsettling. This is true in the Niger Delta, which contains one of the world’s largest supplies of oil and an abundance of other commodities like catfish, cocoa and palm oil. Yet, 70 percent of its 30 million people live in poverty […]
Investing in Africa: The UK announces its ambition to become the leading G7 investor in Africa
This week the UK Government announced its ambition to become the leading G7 investor in Africa, with UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, pledging £4bn to help create jobs for young people across the continent during her trip to South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. This came with a welcome confirmation of the UK’s commitment to spending […]
The Global Sanitation Crisis Presents Lucrative Business Opportunities
This week sees Stockholm play host to World Water Week, an annual event bringing together leaders in the field to discuss how to address the world’s greatest water related challenges. At the top of the agenda is Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: ensuring universal access to water and sanitation. Poor access still affects over half […]
8 SSIR Articles on Businesses Pursuing a Social Mission
Consumers increasingly expect businesses to look out for not only their shareholders, but also society at large. They want to see their values reflected in the products and services they use, and prefer brands that invest in meaningful, long-term relationships with their customers. Companies that take time to listen and respond to these consumer demands […]
How to Set up Global Partnerships for Impact and Success
Katie Hyson, Director of Thought Leadership at Business Fights Poverty caught up with the team from Novo Nordisk to talk about their new partnership, which aims to help ensure access to diabetes medicines and healthcare, is accessible to all. Here, Anne Gadegaard, Associate Director Corporate Sustainability, Soraya Ramoul, Director Global Access to Care and Mia […]
Galvanizing Businesses to Generate Positive Social Impact Through Impact Sourcing
Three months on from the launch of the Global Impact Sourcing Challenge, we are delighted by the outpouring of support from GISC members, over half of which have already responded. The Global Impact Sourcing Coalition (GISC), a business network creating jobs for those most in need through Impact Sourcing, challenged its members to hire 100,000 […]