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?
Sir Ronald Cohen, the impact investing pioneer, is pre-launching an artificial intelligence avatar which discusses his ideas and reflections. We put it to the test.
Data in the Social Impact Finance Barometer 2025 reveals investments in ‘solidarity finance’ grew by nearly €2bn compared with 2023, but its share of total household savings fails to increase substantially.
Ikea Social Entrepreneurship and Cisco Foundation join NESsT Refugee Employment Initiative to help enterprises boost livelihoods for those fleeing from Ukraine and elsewhere.
Locally-rooted and entrepreneur-led, with zero interest and ‘social’ repayment options – Kindred has created a flexible financing solution that’s strengthening dozens of social ventures.
Social enterprises and others can apply for grants of up to £9m as part of the government's new Youth Investment Fund, delivered by Social Investment Business, and set to fund 300 existing or new youth facilities.
ACF, School for Social Entrepreneurs and Access Foundation set up taskforce to boost earned income through grants – billed “the missing piece in the finance jigsaw” – by building on success of match trading.
Certifying as a B Corp isn't easy, even for the most experienced ethical businesses. But should the bar be higher? The latest in our Awkward Questions series puts forward some important challenges. Plus, an overlooked solution to messy metrics.
Social Value International adds explicit requirement to ‘be responsive’ – as too few organisations have reached the stage of managing, not just measuring, their impact.
The B Corp idea disrupted entrenched narratives in business. But certification of companies like Nespresso shows that it must now evolve to embrace newer, bolder ideas in business – or risk being adapted to the needs of the “old economy”.
PLUS: EdTech Provider APDS gains US$7m to 'transform the correctional system'; new report calls for US$6trn in impact investing improve urban slums; Wysa raises US$20m to expand AI-powered mental health services, and more.
New study by Global Steering Group for Impact Investment calls for a change in viewpoint from seeing slums and their inhabitants as a problem and instead acknowledging the potential to transform urban liabilities into assets.
