Social Value Blog
The harm economy (and how we fix it)
We live in a harm economy: causing harm can be profitable, because the costs land on other people and rarely appear in the accounts of the business that caused it. This blog names that problem and introduces the project we are building to fix it.
Social Value Vietnam launches as SVI’s newest Associate Network
Social Value International (SVI) are delighted to celebrate the launch of Social Value Vietnam (SVV) as an Associate Network.
This new network is building a cross-sector community to move impact practice from reporting and compliance towards stakeholder outcomes, value and better decision-making.
You cannot reduce inequality you do not account for
Ben Carpenter, CEO of Social Value International, responds to the open letter from 40 economists calling for a UN International Panel on Inequality, and adds the point it cannot do without.
Unlocking the value of Natural Capital: Why building capability matters more than ever
When I first started working in sustainability more than two decades ago, conversations about the environment were often focused on compliance, emissions and reporting. These areas remain important, but the conversation has evolved significantly. Today, organisations are beginning to ask deeper questions about what truly creates long term value and what enables businesses and societies to thrive.
Increasingly, the answer lies in recognising the relationship between business and nature. This is the essence of Natural Capital.
SVI responds to CSDDD and TISFD: our positions and how to get involved
The CSDDD guidelines will inform how large companies are held accountable for harm in their value chains. TISFD will shape how businesses and financial institutions disclose their impacts on people and inequality. Both touch on territory central to SVI's work, and we had substantive things to contribute to each. The positions we have taken reflect input gathered from across our global network of practitioners and national networks.
New legal research confirms the true and fair requirement extends across Asia-Pacific
SVI's flagship campaign, the True & Fair Project, has published new legal research examining how the true and fair requirement - or its equivalent - operates across five jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region.
Social Value Malaysia becomes the latest network to advance the True & Fair Project in the region
SVM joins a growing international coalition committed to raising awareness of the true and fair requirement in company law, and how it can support companies to reveal their hidden costs of business.
Outputs vs outcomes: Why counting what you do isn’t enough
Counting what you do is not the same as proving you made a difference. This piece unpacks the gap between outputs and outcomes - and why closing it is at the heart of credible impact reporting.
The Accounting Paradox hits bestseller lists across 13 countries
Since publishing on 24 March, the book has hit Amazon bestseller lists in 13 countries - reaching #1 in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Spain, the UK and US, and topping categories spanning Financial Accounting, Business Ethics, Green Business and Economics.
OUT NOW: The Accounting Paradox by SVI Co-Founder Jeremy Nicholls
The Accounting Paradox is a detective story, a history and a manifesto for change. It is also deeply human. Changing the way accounting is practiced could unlock what is best in humanity: our creativity, our kindness and our ability to build a future we all want to live for. Read more in Jeremy Nicholls’ latest book.
Out now: The complete set of Standards for Applying the Principles of Social Value
Today, SVI published the final version of the Standards for Applying the Principles of Social Value (including the SVI Reporting Standard). These are now available to download the complete set from the SVI Standards page.
Sustainability’s next phase: integration
There is growing recognition that sustainability can generate real organisational value.
The challenge now is ensuring it is integrated into organisational decision-making.
In a week where global events may make discussion of organisational sustainability seem a secondary concern, organisations still shape social and environmental outcomes through the decisions they make.
Encouragingly, the conversation has also moved on.
SDG Impact Standards Practitioner Spotlight: Yugen Pillay
Through its partnership with UNDP, SVI has built a global network of accredited practitioners who are trained to support organisations in applying the SDG Impact Standards. In our quarterly Practitioner Spotlight, we’ll highlight the work of these practitioners and the role they play in embedding impact management into organisation’s systems, processes and governance.
In this edition, we shinea light on Yugen Pillay from Johannesburg, South Africa, a practitioner whose work across 32 African countries reflects a shift in how organisations manage their social and environmental impacts.
SVI and EsImpact Officialise Collaboration to Advance the True & Fair Project in Spain
Social Value International (SVI) has signed a new Partnership Agreement with EsImpact, SVI’s Joint Member Network in Spain, to roll out the True & Fair Project nationally and accelerate the integration of sustainability information into mainstream financial accounting.
How we advanced our mission in 2025
We are growing in number and in diversity. There are new people arriving into our movement. New initiatives – some with brilliant innovation, and new frameworks -that reinforce existing thinking. Whilst this explosion of new initiatives and frameworks can sometimes feel confusing or even frustrating, this must be a natural consequence of reaching critical mass and a tipping point for change