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Blockchain vs. Greenwashing: Why Emissions Reporting is Pointless Without Verifiable Data
The current carbon emissions reporting landscape is awash in bold, often dubious claims about the supposed climate impact of different businesses. According to Nish Kotecha at Finboot, these claims are a result of the growing pressure on companies to provide more environmental accountability, and they often reduce emissions reporting to an exercise in greenwashing. He explores how Finboot is leveraging blockchain to verify the accuracy and reliability of emissions data, and discusses some key obstacles to the wider adoption of blockchain-based emissions reporting.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Technology
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Accelerating the Adoption of Inclusive Business Models in Multinational Corporations: Challenges, Solutions and Success Stories
Over two decades ago, C.K. Prahalad and Stuart L. Hart challenged the private sector to tap into “the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid” by developing business models that serve people living in poverty. As Annabel Beales at Business Fights Poverty explains, this vision has gained traction under the mantle of inclusive business — yet adoption of these business models remains low among large corporations. She explores why accelerating this adoption is crucial to eliminating poverty and addressing the other SDGs, and shares three key lessons that show how inclusive business can be operationalized by large corporations.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
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Regulatory Roadblocks are Holding Blended Finance Back: Here are Three Concrete Ways to Address Them
After hitting a 10-year low in 2022, blended finance flows bounced back to a five-year high of $15 billion in 2023. But despite this renewed momentum, Andrew Apampa at Convergence points out that blended finance faces a number of challenges that hinder its ability to scale — including the complex web of policies and regulations that deter highly regulated financial institutions from investing in emerging markets. He discusses these obstacles and presents some promising solutions, as outlined in Convergence’s State of Blended Finance 2024 report.
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- Investing
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Water Scarcity Can’t be Solved by a Single Sector: How Businesses and NGOs Can Work Together to Advance Water Security
Around the world, 2 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water, and a staggering 3.6 billion people lack basic sanitation, as of 2021. Amelia Metcalf at Water Unite argues that the vast scale of these challenges has created an urgent need for collaborative action between water-focused non-profits/NGOs and for-profit businesses, especially corporations and larger enterprises. She explains how this sort of partnership can deliver benefits to both sides — while offering a key opportunity to combat water scarcity at a global scale.
- Categories
- Environment, Investing, WASH
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How Young People are Driving Africa’s Digital Future: A Recent Report Highlights the Impacts of Technology — And the Need for Greater Support
With over 400 million people between the ages of 15 and 35, Africa has the world’s youngest population — and by 2050, this youth population is projected to increase by 73%. As Grace Natabaalo and Chelsea Horváth at Caribou Digital explain, young Africans are leveraging digital platforms to find work, education and more — but they face numerous challenges in accessing and using technology. They share highlights from a new report based on discussions with 20 young people from seven countries across Africa, which show the impact of digital technology — and how this impact could be amplified.
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- Education, Technology
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The Pros and Cons of a Family-Like Culture in Social Enterprise: How to Build an Organizational Culture That Doesn’t Compromise Your Mission
In the world of social entrepreneurship, the line between work and family often blurs. Many social enterprises count actual family members among their staff or leadership, and many others pride themselves on their family-like cultures. But Andreana Drencheva at King’s College London argues that this close-knit organizational culture can also have downsides. She shares research that highlights the benefits and costs of family-like cultures in social enterprises, and presents strategies that can help entrepreneurs maximize the advantages while minimizing the risks.
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- Social Enterprise
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Why Americans Struggle to Share Power — And How Western Social Entrepreneurs Should Change Their Approach to Empowerment in the Global South
Who has the power in impact-focused enterprise? Many believe that this question lies at the heart of social enterprises' work, and that localizing power should be a core goal of the sector. But as Andrea Nelson Trice explains, this approach remains discouragingly rare among Western businesses and investors in emerging markets. She explores why it's so difficult for Westerners — and particularly Americans — to empower others, and shares solutions based on interviews and case studies with 90 American and Global South leaders working in the development space.
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- Social Enterprise
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Design as a Catalyst for Impact: How a First-of-its-Kind Design Policy in Kerala Could Foster a New Approach to Public-Private Partnerships in India
The Indian state of Kerala recently approved a State Design Policy — the first of its kind in the country. As Manoshij Banerjee and Mohammed Shahid Abdulla explain, design policies aim to increase citizens' quality of life by providing guidance to help optimize the design of everything from infrastructure to government policy. They share examples of strategic design choices that have made a major impact on businesses, governments and the communities they serve, and explore how Kerala’s design policy could lead to new opportunities for public-private partnerships in India.
- Categories
- Technology, Transportation
