Sustainability
Are Investments in Social Sustainability Making the Greatest Impact?
The traditional ROI calculations are tied directly to specifics like net profit and revenue growth. Measuring the return of investments in social programs is more challenging but just as important to identifying impacts.
— By Andrew Hale
Businesses are making large investments in corporate social responsibility programs for purposes of environmental sustainability and social impact. It is easier to measure environmental impacts in terms of factors like increased use of renewable energy sources or reduction in water usage. Social impacts are not as clear cut. How does a business measure climate change improvements or financial stability, for example? It is easier to make some generic claims rather than calculating the true impact on people and communities as a result of investments in social sustainability.
It is crucial to measure and analyze the ROI on social program investments to ensure efforts maintain alignment with the organization’...
