Publication database

The framework and case studies provided in this playbook are meant to provide a starting point for companies transitioning to becoming an inclusive business. The framework provides actionable ideas that can help guide your thinking, decision-making practices, and strategy while the case studies’ real-world examples can inspire you to drive inclusive change within your own business and unique context.

The year 2019 was a turning point in the adoption of an “inclusive economy.” In August of that year, 34 global firms pledged more than $USD 1 billion to combat inequality in the OECD-sponsored G7 Business for Inclusive Growth (B4IG) coalition. But what prompted this shift? What spurred business leaders to put an inclusive economy at the top of their agendas? A critical evaluation of past, present, and future income inequalities may explain this impetus.

This guide aims to give NGOs and companies guidance in conducting more productive inclusive business partnerships as equal partners. We hope these pages will create a better understanding for what inclusive business partnerships actually are, provide inspiration in the form of real partnership examples, and offer a way forward by documenting the lessons learned by practitioners in the field.

Over the last decade, many multinational corporations have attempted to set up inclusive businesses of one kind or another, with varying success. Despite good intentions and the investment of significant resources, few of these pilots have been successful and an even smaller proportion has reached significant scale. This report presents key lessons from the corporate intrapreneurs whom Hystra has supported over the past 10 years in building their inclusive businesses.

So far, large companies have mainly developed - or ‘built’ - new inclusive business initiatives inside their existing business. This paper explores when buying inclusive business externally - through Corporate Impact Venturing (CIV) - makes sense. It also explains how CIV can be set up, and which partners can provide support. The outlook provides recommendations on how to further facilitate investments into inclusive businesses.

The New Economy includes new types of “social purpose” businesses and organizations such as social enterprises. At the same time, new types of inclusive businesses practices are emerging that generate social value through their normal business operations. This can include both internal practices such as living wage policies or external practices such as social procurement. This report provides an overview of these emerging business forms and practices and their associated impacts. The report also reflects questions such as: What are the barriers or enablers that would prevent or support greater adoption of inclusive business practices? What are the barriers or enablers that would prevent or support greater collaboration among stakeholders and organizations committed to growing the new economy?

Cargill and CARE’s 50-year partnership offers insights and lessons for anyone looking to build an effective and long- term partnership. This Briefing Paper describes how the partnership has evolved from a primarily philanthropic relationship to one that, especially over the past 10 years, has genuinely drawn on the capabilities, skills and resources of the two partners.

This report summarises survey results on the engagement of business in international development. The sample for the study included interviews with 25 company executives, 10 NGO executives, six journalists and four investment analysts.

The publication outlines a process of ‘principled prioritization’ aimed at helping companies to identify and prioritize their SDG targets, take action and report on their progress. This approach assists companies in integrating the SDGs into existing corporate responsibility and sustainability reporting programs. It also weaves together risk management and new business models that can contribute to the advancement of the SDGs.

This compendium brings together 15 practical examples of how individual companies and/or multi-stakeholder initiatives are aiming to address human rights impacts and, at the same time, are showing great promise in delivering meaningful contributions to the SDGs. The report is organized around four issue areas, illustrating how they connect to the SDGs: forced labor, living wages, gender equality and land rights.