Creating A Roadmap For Impact Investment Initiatives

The SDGs: Stop Overthinking, Start Delivering United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Look, we've made sustainability too complicated. Every consultant has their framework. Every tech vendor has their platform. Every regulation has its acronym. But here's what actually matters: The Reality Check The world faces clear challenges: - Climate change is threatening business operations - Supply chains are vulnerable to resource scarcity - Talent wants purpose-driven work - Investors demand real impact - Regulators are done with greenwashing What Companies Actually Need 1. Clear Focus - Pick the SDGs that directly impact your business - Focus on material issues, not checkbox exercises - Set measurable targets that make business sense 2. Practical Action - Start with your core business impact - Fix what you can control first - Scale what works, learn from what doesn't 3. Real Results - Track metrics that matter to your bottom line - Measure actual impact, not just activities - Report on progress, not promises The Business Case Is Simple Companies taking real action on SDGs see: - 20% average cost savings from resource efficiency - 2-3x employee engagement rates - 30% higher customer loyalty - Better access to capital - Lower regulatory risk Stop Wasting Money On - Excessive frameworks and certifications - Complex consulting engagements - Siloed sustainability initiatives - Fancy reports nobody reads - Tech platforms that create more work Start Investing In - Direct emissions reduction - Circular business models - Supply chain resilience - Employee development - Community impact And The Way Forward 1. Month 1-3 - Pick your priority SDGs - Set clear business targets - Start measuring baseline impact 2. Month 4-6 - Fix obvious problems - Train your teams - Build basic systems 3. Month 7-12 - Scale what works - Drop what doesn't - Show real results Bottom Line The SDGs aren't a compliance exercise. They're a blueprint for future-proofing your business. Every dollar spent should drive both impact and returns. Every initiative should solve real problems. Stop overthinking. Start delivering.

Impact ALWAYS has a cost. Time. Money. Resources. The only real question is: who’s paying? Most businesses dodge the bullet, passing the bill down the line, to underpaid workers, overexploited ecosystems, or blissfully unaware consumers. It’s a shell game, dressed up as “green,” “purpose-driven,” or “ESG-compliant.” Impact doesn’t just show up on your balance sheet. It is your balance sheet. So, how do you pay for impact without screwing over someone else? Let’s break it down: 1. Reframe Impact as an Investment, Not a Cost Stop treating sustainability as a PR expense. Instead, think of it as a long-term strategy that reduces risk and creates new revenue streams. Companies with strong ESG practices outperform peers financially in the long run. Unilever’s Sustainable Living Brands, which grew 69% faster than others in its portfolio. Shift resources from unnecessary marketing fluff (hello, greenwashing) into real, measurable initiatives like renewable energy adoption or waste reduction. Show your numbers; consumers care about receipts. 2. Stop Cheap Labor in the Name of “Efficiency” Your $4 organic cotton tote isn’t “impactful” if the person stitching it makes $0.10/hour. The exploitation is baked into the margins. Research shows consumers are 55% more likely to purchase from companies transparent about fair wages, even when prices are slightly higher. Build supply chain transparency. Tools like Sourcemap and Fairtrade certifications help. Yes, it takes time. Yes, it’s worth it. 3. Transparently Price in the Cost of Doing Good Nobody trusts businesses that promise impact without costs, because it’s BS. Customers aren’t afraid to pay a premium for ethical practices if you show them why it matters. 73% of millennials (your biggest buyers soon) prefer sustainable brands, but only if they trust the claims. Stop burying the cost of sustainability in your margins. Be upfront: “This product costs more because it doesn’t exploit people or the planet. Period.” 4. Co-Fund Impact with Your Customers When impact costs feel too heavy, bring your audience into the equation. Consumers want to feel like stakeholders, not passive buyers. Crowdfunded impact initiatives (think TOMs’ buy-one-give-one or Allbirds’ carbon offset surcharge) not only cover costs but strengthen brand loyalty. Add micro-impact pricing like a small donation baked into every transaction for reforestation or clean water. The buy-in builds emotional equity with your brand. It’s uncomfortable to face the real costs, but trust isn’t built on convenience. It’s built on truth and truth ALWAYS comes with a price tag. So, stop passing the bill. Start paying for real. With purpose and impact, Mario

When a principal starts expressing interest in distributing all or a majority of assets, whether those of a foundation, a trust or other vehicle, many wealth advisors resist the idea, whether actively or more passively. There may be trust documents, bylaws or other legal limitations on fully distributing assets. But if your governing documents allow some level of discretion and flexibility (which they should if your estate attorney is worth their salt), consider undertaking a process to proceed thoughtfully while honoring the family members' wishes. For example, these are the steps we outlined for a family who wanted to spend down their charitable foundation of several hundred million dollars, while activating all assets for impact along the way: 1. Create a clear policy for the foundation’s lifespan. This sets the container for annual spending targets, but also investment policy, staffing requirements and relationships with partners. Tip: If there is an existing grantmaking program with long-term relationships, it's very difficult to be thoughtful about execution with an end date with less than seven to ten years from when you start. 2. Formulate a new Investment Policy Statement that includes guidance for the team on key issues, including: * Target returns for an investment portfolio that is being maximized for impact rather than maximized for financial return to the foundation where perpetuity is not the goal. * Liquidity requirements over time (while not assuming that turning everything into cash and granting it out is the only approach). * Definition of “impact” and how it will be measured/evaluated * Risk tolerance, in light of the priority for high impact along the way.  3. Consider staffing requirements and existing job descriptions in light of the Investment Policy Statement. You may need to supplement/complement the skill set, networks and sourcing methodologies of existing staff with new team members. Don't forget to re-evaluate your Investment Committee composition, as well. 4. Maybe the most important step: Revisit compensation policies including base and bonus compensation for investment staff to correctly align incentives around impact and financial return in the context of a limited lifespan. Otherwise, it can cause a great deal of anxiety (and unspoken resistance) when investment staff are conventionally compensated on growth of assets and suddenly told the assets are intentionally shrinking. The desire to spend out assets and put them to pro-social use in the world is only go to grow. It's a growth area for wealth managers and multi-family offices to support individuals through this process, rather than trying to talk them out of it. #wealthmanagement #familyoffice #privatefoundation #impinv #impactinvesting #fiduciary #philanthropy #spenddown #sunset

One of the biggest challenges I’ve seen in emerging markets is that promising projects often never move beyond the idea stage. Too many opportunities remain stuck in the 'initiation phase', constrained by underdeveloped concepts, technical gaps, unclear project sponsorship, and institutional misalignment. Poor coordination between government agencies, the private sector, and development partners further compounds the challenge. The result? A limited pipeline of bankable projects—and stalled investments. In my experience leading blended finance initiatives and structuring investment transactions, I’ve seen that effective upstream engagement is essential. Mobilizing private capital at scale depends on early identification of market constraints and the timely development of projects—well before they reach the stage of commercial structuring. What does that look like? ▪️Project development support – Fund prefeasibility studies, transaction design, and structuring advisory. ▪️De-risking solutions – Use blended concessional finance, guarantees, and risk-sharing tools to crowd in private capital. ▪️Regulatory and policy reform – Unlock sector constraints and enable market entry through coordinated upstream engagement. ▪️Standardized instruments – Implement model PPAs, PPP frameworks, and legal templates to streamline execution. ▪️Institutional capacity building – Strengthen local developers, municipalities, public agencies, and other intermediaries to structure investable deals. ▪️Data-driven diagnostics – Use CPSDs, MASPs, and pipeline mapping to prioritize high-impact sectors and geographies. No pipeline, no private capital. No upstream preparation, no pipeline. DFIs, financial institutions, and private investors are ready. They just need something worth saying “yes” to.