Business

Business Innovations & Initiatives

World Bank: Is Economic Growth Alone Enough? Human Wellbeing and Development Strategy

As the World Bank’s Spring Meetings begin, a vital question returns: is GDP growth enough to improve lives? This article argues for a more useful lens, combining economic growth with multidimensional, household-level poverty data. Drawing on fresh evidence, it shows how better measurement can drive smarter policy and more inclusive, lasting gains in wellbeing.
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women farmers supply chains

Partnering for Impact: Five Lessons for Organisations Ready to Champion Women Farmers

Strong partnerships are essential to building resilient, climate-smart supply chains. Drawing on ofi and GIZ’s multi-year collaboration, this article shares five practical lessons for empowering women farmers at scale. From aligning around shared challenges to designing inclusive, long-term programmes, it shows how partnership can unlock livelihoods, strengthen value chains and drive measurable impact.
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Supply chain problems. Businessmen connect chains together stock illustration - impact venture design

Why Lean Startup Fails Impact Ventures – and What to Do About It

Why do so many impact ventures fail to scale sustainably? The Billions Burned webinar series explores how Lean Startup and patient capital models can undermine long-term success in “build to hold” ventures. It argues that structural cost-to-value barriers – not lack of effort or money – drive failure, and highlights the need for new innovation frameworks that prioritise profitability, resilience and real-world impact.
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First mile supply chain traceability

Understanding the First Mile: Strategies and Tools for First Mile Inclusion in Traceability and Due Diligence Systems

New research offers practical approaches to strengthening traceability and supporting smallholder inclusion at the start of agricultural supply chains. Jessica Fryer from ISEAL discusses the research findings and what this means for building resilient and inclusive supply chains.
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Beatrice Medo

Supply Chain Resilience Starts with Household Resilience: What Other Sectors can Learn from Cocoa

Supply chain resilience begins at the household level. Drawing lessons from the cocoa sector in West Africa, this article explores how strengthening women’s financial inclusion, decision-making power and access to savings groups can stabilise farming families and reduce risks across global supply chains. When households become more resilient, companies gain stronger, more reliable and sustainable supply systems.
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Marike Runneboom de Peña, Fairtrade

Why Fairtrade Matters More Than Ever with Marike Runneboom de Peña

Listen in to this podcast episode to hear from Social Impact Pioneer Marike Runneboom de Peña, Interim CEO of Fairtrade International, about why this moment is a turning point for fair trade and global supply chains.
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Translating sustainability insights into action

Partner with the Business Fights Poverty Institute to Drive Action

Businesses face growing pressure to turn sustainability insight into action, yet fragmented evidence often slows progress. The Business Fights Poverty Institute bridges this gap by combining academic rigour with real-world expertise to deliver practical, actionable guidance. By enabling collaboration across sectors, it helps companies build resilient, inclusive strategies to tackle global challenges effectively.
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Global supply chains and hidden labour risks

Forced Labour in Supply Chains: A Growing Competitiveness Challenge for the UK

Forced labour in supply chains is no longer just an ethical issue, it is a growing competitiveness challenge for UK businesses. As global regulations tighten, responsible sourcing is becoming essential for market access, resilience and investor confidence. Stronger frameworks can protect workers, level the playing field and position the UK to lead in sustainable, high-integrity global trade.
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The Social Impact Landscape for Business

The Social Impact Landscape for Business: Planning for 2026 This paper explores how businesses can navigate an increasingly complex and polarised social impact landscape
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Narrative and Language

What is working for social impact professionals in 2026 As social impact becomes increasingly politicised and misunderstood, how organisations communicate is critical to sustaining
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Managing Change

What is working for social impact professionals in 2026 As social impact professionals face rising uncertainty, funding pressures and shifting political dynamics, the ability
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How can companies strengthen livelihoods through their value chains?

How can companies strengthen livelihoods through their value chains? As businesses face rising pressure to deliver fairer and more resilient value chains, livelihoods can
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How are current social and environmental challenges disrupting livelihoods?

How are current social and environmental challenges disrupting livelihoods? As climate change, AI, demographic shifts and displacement reshape labour markets, the challenge is not
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AI women entrepreneurs - African businesswoman uses smart tablet

AI is Working for Women Entrepreneurs — But Only at the Edges. For Real Benefits, We Need Targeted Action.

AI is helping women entrepreneurs save time, but not yet unlock the full growth potential of their businesses. Drawing on research across 3,000 women entrepreneurs in 66 countries, this article explores why AI adoption remains concentrated in marketing and communications, and what targeted action is needed to turn AI from a helpful tool into a genuine driver of resilience, productivity and growth.
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determined African woman standing in a field of crops determined to yield a harvest of crop

The Missing Link in Water Stewardship: Why Gender Equity is Not an Add-On

As water scarcity intensifies, businesses must rethink not only how much water they use but who is most affected by its depletion. This article explores why gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) are essential to effective corporate water stewardship, helping companies reduce operational risks, strengthen community trust and build more resilient, equitable water management strategies.
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Young African, female person or employee checking technology for supply chain stock photo

Good Intentions Don’t Transform Supply Chains. Better Design Could.

Despite growing commitments to gender equality, many supply chain programmes struggle to deliver real outcomes for women. This article argues the problem is not motivation but design. By rethinking how gender initiatives are structured—embedding context, capability, and evidence from the start—companies can move beyond participation metrics and create meaningful, lasting change in global supply chains.
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Housing in Ibiza Sofi Anna Yvette

Tackling Ibiza’s Housing Crisis Through Cross-Sector Collaboration, with Yvette, Sofia and Anna

In this episode, three Social Impact Leaders: Sofia Ribas, Anna Olivia Spenner Hernández, and Yvette Torres-Rahman, share insights from their groundbreaking research into Ibiza’s housing crisis and explore practical solutions to make living on the island viable year-round.
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Jinesh Vohra Sprive

Managing Debt and Mortgages with Jinesh Vohra

Jinesh Vohra, social entrepreneur and founder of Sprive talks managing debt and mortgages.
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Sunrise through the forest- future of social impact

Together for 2026: Navigating a Shifting Social Impact Landscape

As social impact becomes more complex, politicised and contested, businesses and practitioners are rethinking how change is led and communicated. Drawing on insights from Business Fights Poverty’s Together for 2026 forum, this article explores how organisations can move beyond acronyms, build trust locally, integrate impact into core decision-making, and sustain leadership resilience in an uncertain global landscape.
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Making Environmental Action Second Nature

Making Environmental Action Second Nature

Climate action often fails not from apathy, but from poor design. This article argues that the most powerful environmental impact comes from embedding sustainability into everyday systems—especially finance. By making climate-positive choices automatic rather than effort-based, businesses can drive durable behaviour change and shift outcomes at scale.
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What do we mean by "Business"?

Dive into the world of business innovations dedicated to combating poverty. We spotlight transformative ideas and practices that are making an impact.

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