Share learnings openly and in the spirit of collaboration. If your business trials an innovative approach or conducts a pilot, be transparent about what worked and what didn’t and what your next steps are on the journey towards your objectives. Demonstrating some tangible progress and practical solutions and sharing these with peers is a win-win for your business, the sector, and the sustainability impact/objective.
Stay focussed on the strength of purpose in the younger generations of consumers and managers who care deeply about company behaviours. Their allyship and progressive approach to the future is where smart businesses need to be focussed.
A3: Focus on systems change and sustainable solutions that are rooted in your business. In the case of your impact on displacement-affected communities, recognize refugees as an opportunity, an asset, for your business and identify the ways in which your company’s business model, strategies, and strengths can support as well as benefit from engagement with refugees. Whether through hiring, supply chain integration, product innovation, or financing, align your core business strategy with long-term inclusive economic development where you operate. Seek partnerships with the local social impact communities, including those with lived experience, to help you implement these strategies. There are resources (research, data, frameworks, advisory, etc.) and partnerships available for businesses that want to take these intentional steps.
Always think about the social and environmental consequences of the decisions you and your business make and remember that the divide between your business life and your family/personal life (i.e. your behaviours) is a false one
Partnership working is the only way to do this work. Find people with lived experiences of the challenges you’re hoping to address & integrate their voices, wisdom & experiences in your efforts.
“Nothing without us is for us…” Poverty Truth Network
A2 – Part 3: Business leaders can serve as mentors to very early-stage, pre-seed entrepreneurs in emerging markets as highlighted by this Endeavour research from 2022. As the key challenges to SMEs continue to be in access to capital/lack of investor interest and talent and recruitment (and business capabilities especially for entrepreneurs who are from science background and focused on innovation-based products), established leaders who have overcome many of these challenges can mentor new entrepreneurs to help strengthen the system in which they operate.
The main blockages for industry to further sustainability is the lack of a level playing field: most industries would be willing to do so much more if their competitors in other countries would not break all SDG rules to be able to offer services and materials at a very low price. The solution would be the UN with a much broader back
I’m concerned that one of the largest challenges the social impact community will face this year (and beyond) will be largely invisible, happening in private conversations behind closed doors — or even in the unspoken thoughts of entrepreneurs and other impact-focused leaders, funders and stakeholders. I’m referring to the self-censorship I can already see happening across many business sectors, in which people are afraid to express support for certain communities, address certain causes or speak out against certain ideas due to the risk of political backlash or social media controversy. Fear hovers over many of these discussions, and it will lead to a scaling back of ambition, and a reluctance to tackle major issues. Nobody wants to attract negative attention from vastly powerful political and corporate leaders who would think nothing of destroying an entrepreneur’s business or an impact leader’s career. I feel that fear as I type this, and I can feel myself censoring my own thoughts as I write them, refusing to name names even in this comment. I doubt I’m the only one who feels this way.
As for how we can approach this issue — I guess talking about it is a good first step? Beyond that, I honestly don’t know. We’re in uncharted waters.
I particularly believe that this is true when it comes to farmer engagement but also when it comes to connecting with big cheese corporate leaders in the Boardrooms - look people in the eye and engage with them on THEIR terms first.
(It’s something that I was reminded of in a failed election attempt in UK GE24 where engaging with people on the doorsteps of their homes was a humbling yet highly rewarding experience!)
Advice to a leader stepping into 2025 would be to stay ahead of evolving reporting requirements, which will also help reduce the cost of implementation, and collect the views of those people and communities involved in your supply chain.
Find where and how to drive social impact in your organization. Be bold and look for other leaders, partners and examples to make the business case (it does not have to be just financial!) for driving social impact. What do you do, services you provide - think beyond your POV to how those can create opportunities for people. Look to guides such as this WBCSD one to engage with the right people in the right way in your company to create change. ID what you want to achieve and speak to others in your sector for ideas. The Business Leaders Guide to Climate Adaptation & Resilience | WBCSD
Take a holistic/system thinking approach to change making. Identify your weaknesses/gaps as a business and seek out strategic partnerships to strengthen/fill these.
a3. Stay the course and even expand it – we need business to continue to focus on the long term picture beyond the next four years. We’ve seen a number of companies start to shy away from previously agreed goals (ie banks leaving the Net Zero Banking Alliance) which has been destabilizing and demoralizing for social impact organizations focused on climate goals – we need you to speak up with empathy and authenticity, stay focused on long term change, and be our partners in helping those who are already living with the impact of climate change
A2: The flux and severity of issues: from climate-induced displacement to conflict to supply chain instability… This new peak in global challenges is worsened by political environments increasingly stepping away from responsibility or funding, leaving solutions under-resourced and leaving all of us to be overly reactionary. We must continue advocating and sharing the urgency around these issues but also to focus on resilience, diversify funding streams, and when the public sector fails us, build strong for-non-profit partnerships.
2025, we need to partner with Governments. We need to find ways to engage leaders especially in the regions where we want to see transformation and change. It is Ok to have partnerships with corporates and NGOs, but it is often the gov’t that can bring about lasting change in some of the poorest countries. How do we ensure that we can fully engage them at all stages of whatever solutions we are working on and ensure that there is some level of ownership?
Organisations like BFA can begin to bring people together.
Climate Change I believe isthe biggest boulder for social impact in a challenging and opportunity filled 2025. All residents of this planet especially the private sector we have to recognize the value of a sustainable planet and make meaningful progress in the fight
against poverty.
Climate change and environmental degradation, impacts poverty especially in the sub-Saharan Africa with marginalized communities.
Increasing inequality and social unrest, AI disruption governance and stark rogue economic policies. Accountability.
3.Absence to financial and educational resources, upskilling.
To approach these challenges
Emphasize climate resilience and adaptation in CSR programs and investments.
Foster inclusive and equitable economic growth, through initiatives Develop impact investing and social entrepreneurship.
Prioritize data-driven decision making, using technology and evidence-based approaches to measure and evaluate impact.
Tips for partnerships (eg PPPP) we have identified with IMPACT EUROPE Corporate members: on topi of alignement on shared goals; have a clear understanding of the complementarity of each partner, synchronyze timelines among stakeholders, simplify the KPIs frameworks focusing on impactful metrics