Spotlight on the Impact Economy

Published on April 29, 2019

Marc-André Blanchard / Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN - Canada’s Permanent Mission at the UN

Helle Bank Jorgensen / Founder & CEO - Competent Boards

Paul Allard / Co-Founder and Chief Ecosystem Officer - Impak Finance

Dustyn Lanz / CEO - Responsible Investment Association

Can business be for good? Must it be? With the imperatives of addressing climate change, inequality, sustainability, and the host of challenges we collectively face, and the increasing purchasing and decision-making power of younger generations, Canada’s impact economy is growing. What are the factors driving its expansion? What are the implications for companies? What role are consumers, investors and stakeholders playing? What are the opportunities for established businesses and our start-ups? This Spotlight explores these themes and more.

Key Takeaways & Calls to Action

Large institutional investors must mobilize the private capital under their control and their capacity for innovation to achieve the SDGs.
Large businesses and Canadian governments must use the power of procurement to encourage SMEs to adopt sustainable practices throughout their entire supply chain. The government must create sustainable procurement guidelines.
The Canadian Government must support its social economy by introducing tax credits for impact-first companies and by providing them with early-stage investment.
Companies are increasingly recognizing the growing importance of ESG factors to investors and the government is catching up. Leadership from the top is crucial for improvements in corporate performance on ESG disclosures and practices.

Watch and Read the Experts’ Full Interviews:

The Ambassador Marc-André Blanchard Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN - Canada’s Permanent Mission at the UN "Achieving sustainable development and preventing severe climate change is imperative for securing our future economic prosperity, for ensuring the health of our planet, and for preserving global peace and security."

The Corporate Leader Helle Bank Jorgensen Founder & CEO - Competent Boards "The key to being more impactful is to ensure that all board members are fully aware of the short- and long-term impact of their decisions and their responsibility to stakeholders, not just shareholders."

The Impact Entrepreneur Paul Allard Co-Founder and Chief Ecosystem Officer - Impak Finance "If someone would ask me what the number one problem in our world is, I would answer with no hesitation that it is the financial economy."

The Responsible Investor Dustyn Lanz CEO - Responsible Investment Association "You cannot fully understand a business by looking at financial statements alone. You need to look at companies more holistically to understand the full scope of risks and opportunities they may be exposed to."