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A Future Beyond Short-Term Profit: A Movement Builds for Mission-First Business Structures
Business as usual is not working to solve major world problems—in many cases it’s actually causing them, due to flaws built into the foundation of conventional business and investing structures. Jasper van Brakel of RSF Social Finance discusses how this realization is sparking a grassroots global movement behind mission-first business, rooted in stakeholder governance and seeking profit as an engine for creating social, cultural and ecological good.
- Categories
- Social Enterprise
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Press Release: Citi Launches $150 Million Impact Investing Fund
This is the largest fund of its kind to be launched by a bank using its own capital. Investments, which could be as high as $10 million, will primarily be made in companies that have demonstrated proof of concept, built an existing customer base, secured prior rounds of funding and exhibited the potential for scale in multiple markets. A portion of the fund is designated for earlier stage seed investments.
- Region
- North America
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Press Release: EcoVadis Secures c. $200M Investment from CVC Growth Partners to Accelerate Adoption of Sustainability Ratings Throughout the Globalised Economy
This transaction represents one of the largest investments in the ESG space to date and reflects a shared long-term vision for the importance of ESG to business success. EcoVadis will leverage the funding to scale globally and ingrain sustainability, fair labour practices and ethics into enterprise supply chains and business commerce.
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Meet the Zayed Sustainability Prize Finalists
This year, finalists include start-ups which have developed technologies to combat plastic waste and the spread of disease, as well as improving access to clean electricity.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment, Health Care, Technology
- Region
- North Africa & Near East
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Facebook, Visa among the stocks with high ESG marks — enough to outrun the S&P 500
Companies that improve their environmental, social and governance reputations outperform the S&P 500 — major technology and financial services firms among them.
- Categories
- Environment, Finance, Investing
- Tags
- ESG, sustainable business
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West Africa’s Cocoa Farmers Are Trapped by the Global Chocolate Industry
The chocolate industry is worth more than $80 billion a year. But some cocoa farmers in parts of West Africa are poorer now than they were in the 1970s or 1980s.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Exit Strategy: How Cashing Out Can Move Us Closer to Universal Energy Access
You might think that a lack of investment is the biggest problem facing off-grid energy companies. But as Leslie Labruto and Sarah Bieber at Acumen point out, in an industry that's seen over $1.4 billion invested since 2012, with only $50 million returned to investors, the lack of exits is an equally serious challenge. They discuss a new Acumen report that demonstrates how the shortage of exits is holding the sector back, and what can be done to address it.
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BlackRock ‘Breaks New Ground’ With Circular Economy Fund
The partnership with Ellen MacArthur Foundation aims to raise awareness of circular opportunity in financial sector.
- Categories
- Investing
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