I am supposed to be a poster-child for Impact Capitalism, the offbeat idea that business can be a force for good. But the role of evangelist makes me uneasy. The reality of impact is too nuanced for simple saviors.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Impact Capitalism.
If I understand well your point-of-view, your carry the idea that an entrepreneur can impact on the SDGs :
- directly for 32% of them directly in the business model
- by including nonprofit financial into the business model
- by using the profit generated by Impact Capitalism to finance nonprofit, NGOs or political
However, I would like to be more idealistic ;-) I'm pretty convinced that business can positively impact more than 32% of the SDGs.
Let take your example, SDG 16.1 : Violence can take several shapes in multiple environments - and workplace is not, sadly, an exception. But companies can choose to fight against ordinary discrimination, harassment or any other kind of day-to-day violence inside their organisations. In that case, positive impact is not the business goal but a company's value and sometimes a company's pillar.
It may looks like a drop in the ocean but it have an impact ! Companies engaged with a CSR strategy have a positive impact whatever their business goals.
I had a chat via LinkedIn with founder of Time for the planet, I guess you heard about this. They asked their LinkedIn followers the reason why we were not engaged as a partner. I answered that I was waiting for them to incorporate non-technological goals in their impact strategy. From my point of view, this is a must-have in 2021.
Once again, many thanks for elevating the debate around positive-impact in business. It is a pleasure to read you (even if my English is rusted).
Hi Rob,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Impact Capitalism.
If I understand well your point-of-view, your carry the idea that an entrepreneur can impact on the SDGs :
- directly for 32% of them directly in the business model
- by including nonprofit financial into the business model
- by using the profit generated by Impact Capitalism to finance nonprofit, NGOs or political
However, I would like to be more idealistic ;-) I'm pretty convinced that business can positively impact more than 32% of the SDGs.
Let take your example, SDG 16.1 : Violence can take several shapes in multiple environments - and workplace is not, sadly, an exception. But companies can choose to fight against ordinary discrimination, harassment or any other kind of day-to-day violence inside their organisations. In that case, positive impact is not the business goal but a company's value and sometimes a company's pillar.
It may looks like a drop in the ocean but it have an impact ! Companies engaged with a CSR strategy have a positive impact whatever their business goals.
I had a chat via LinkedIn with founder of Time for the planet, I guess you heard about this. They asked their LinkedIn followers the reason why we were not engaged as a partner. I answered that I was waiting for them to incorporate non-technological goals in their impact strategy. From my point of view, this is a must-have in 2021.
Once again, many thanks for elevating the debate around positive-impact in business. It is a pleasure to read you (even if my English is rusted).
Regards,
Romain