Project ROI

Making the Case for Responsible Business Practices

“Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose. To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society.”
–Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock

As Larry Fink illuminated in his 2018 letter to CEOs, now more than ever, companies’ engagement in society is no longer a “nice to do,” but a business imperative. Project ROI is a portfolio of action research projects that examine the business cases and returns on investment for corporate activities that have traditionally been seen as unquantifiable.

Both reports were led by a partnership between the Institute for Social Innovation and IO Sustainability.

Project ROI: Corporate Responsibility

Defining the Competitive and Financial Advantages of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability

This report establishes the potential returns on investment corporate responsibility can deliver, and defines a clear roadmap of essential practices for companies that want to improve the impact and value of their corporate responsibility and sustainability performance. This project was supported by Verizon and Campbell Soup Company.

Project ROI: Health

Driving Corporate Involvement in Community Health and Well-being

This report is the product of an 18-month project examining the business case for corporate involvement in community health and well-being, including implications for companies and the actions they can take, along with ideas and frameworks to design and pursue corporate involvement. This project was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.)