Our demand for more and more clothes is bad news for the planet. New, nature-derived materials promise a lighter footprint – but can they convince price-conscious shoppers, investors and retailers to take a leap into the unknown?
In 2024, Livv Housing Group launched Livv and Flourish, a £4.25m social impact investment fund for the Liverpool City Region. Blackburne House CEO Andrea Rushton shares the story of her charity’s social investment with Livv.
PLUS: ABN AMRO’s sustainable impact fund; UK’s £30m social investment pilot for housing; investor coalition supports ‘just transition’; NESsT gets grant to support impact enterprises in the Amazon region, and more.
The ambitious Great Green Wall project could have a huge impact – if, that is, it can be driven not just from the corridors of power but also by local citizens. In the Gambia, that’s starting to happen. But the clock is ticking.
New report by Co-operatives UK shows more people have embraced co-operative ownership of their local pub, while the number of co-ops generally continues to grow despite the crisis.
A move to require all EU companies to consider stakeholder interests would fit within the broader European sustainability agenda, but it faces resistance as “traditional industries” lobby the European Commission.
Do investors care about impact? Often, no: they're more focused on the warm fuzzy feeling of 'doing good'. But some are accepting moderate returns for more impact, and they're crucial to the growth of early-stage social enterprise.
First-time deal means tech for good VC can increase financial firepower up to ten-fold and hold its own among mainstream competitors – while ensuring no “watering down” of focus on impact, according to CEO.
The Great British Social Enterprise Bake Off?... Find out why bread is one of the most popular ingredients in this year's NatWest SE100 Social Business Awards – as our 25 finalists are announced.
Confidence in impact investment grows five-fold in three years – but six in 10 of those polled find the process 'challenging', pointing to communication and consistency as areas for improvement.
