The Impact World this Week: 20 February 2026

Taiwan: The Taiwanese government is lining up increased support for the circular economy, in a bid to make the island a regional hub for resource efficiency. The government is introducing new legislation, green funding and artificial intelligence-driven industrial upgrades, building on a broader, long-term strategy outlined in Taiwan’s draft 2050 Circular Economy Roadmap, released last October and scheduled for finalisation this year. On Monday officials showcased resource recycling technologies, including tech which converts discarded textiles into construction materials, developed through a two year academic collaboration. Environment minister Peng Chi-ming said Taiwan’s circular economy sector is growing at about 9 per cent annually, compared with roughly 2.3 per cent in Germany, positioning it as a key pillar of the island’s green technology industry.

• Read more: Taiwan’s innovation energy fires up Social Enterprise World Forum 2025

UK: Unemployment data published this week shows “we can’t afford to wait” to transition to a model of business where fair work is a baseline, rather than a nice to have, said Chris Turner, CEO of B Lab UK. Government figures released on Tuesday showed unemployment in the UK rose to 5.2%, its highest rate in nearly five years, at the end of 2025, which led to ministers considering slowing planned youth minimum wage rises. In response, Turner highlighted B Lab UK research which found UK B Corps grew their headcount by 11 per cent last year, compared to just 2 per cent across all UK SMEs. "Purpose-led businesses are thriving, and they are hiring. They prove that treating workers well and growing a resilient business are not in conflict, they reinforce each other,” said Turner. 

• Read more: Legislating for all businesses to be purpose-led will boost UK economy, argues think tank

India: Mumbai will host the Earthshot Prize awards night and summit in November 2026. The competition, set up to recognise environmental innovation, awards £1m prizes to five winners to accelerate the impact of their innovative solutions. Organisers say the multi-day Earthshot Prize summit in Mumbai will bring together environmental and business leaders, investors and philanthropists to drive forward solutions to repair the planet.

Spain: Spain’s impact investment wholesaler, the Fondo de Impacto Social, has committed €15m to the B Social Impact Fund II run by Ship2B Ventures as well as €3.9m to Phitrust Partenaires Inclusion. The investment in the B Social Impact Fund II consolidates its position as the country’s largest social impact-focused venture capital fund, which aims to raise €80m. Phitrust Partenaires Inclusion is a €60m social impact investment vehicle managed by French asset manager Phitrust, focused on social economy SMEs in Europe; this investment will enable it to allocate funds to Spain for the first time.

• Read more: Spain positions itself among world leaders in impact investing

A guide from social enterprise Invisible Cities leads a walking tour around Edinburgh, Scotland.

Scotland: Visitors to tourism hotspot Edinburgh are being invited to ‘Stay Like a Local’ through a campaign built around a new tour devised by social enterprise Invisible Cities. The campaign, launched this week by the City of Edinburgh Council’s marketing brand Forever Edinburgh, is focussed on a walking tour of the city highlighting off-the-beaten-path locations, lesser-known stories and everyday places loved by locals, delivered by Invisible Cities guides. Founded in Edinburgh, Invisible Cities trains people who have experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides in their own city. Stay Like a Local is part of a three-year behaviour change campaign led by Forever Edinburgh and funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, a £2.6bn UK government fund designed to replace EU structural funds, supporting the levelling up agenda across the UK.

• Read our interview with Invisible Cities founder Zakia Moulaoui Guery: “Tour guiding gives people who have experienced homelessness a purpose in life”

UK: It’s been a big week for social enterprise on the BBC. Firstly, on Sunday BBC Radio 4’s In Other News show interviewed former WISE100 winner Camilla Marcus-Dew about how she founded social enterprise Amplify Goods after the closure of Clarity, where she had been head of commercial. Then Carefree, a social enterprise which partners with the hospitality industry to transform unsold hotel rooms into short-break accommodation for full-time, unpaid carers, appeared in BBC World Service’s People Fixing the World series. The episode featured another former WISE100 winner, Carefree founder and CEO Charlotte Newman.

• Read more: We can help to solve the UK's social care crisis – so why can't we access more social investment?

UK/Pakistan: Low-income young entrepreneurs in Pakistan will receive support to unlock business growth and job creation in underserved urban communities, thanks to the British Asian Trust and the Citi Foundation. Through the Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge, international development charity the British Asian Trust will receive US​​$500,000 to accelerate youth employability. The Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge provided US$25m in catalytic funding to support community organisations around the world to develop and launch innovative employment solutions for low-income youth.

Movers and Shakers

• Sarah Gordon has taken on the role of head of impact investing and philanthropy at the Office for Investment, a joint government unit between 10 Downing Street, HM Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade. A former Financial Times journalist, Gordon has previously served as CEO of the Impact Investing Institute and non executive director of Social Finance.