Intention is not enough: Impact investors seek standardised measures of ‘impact’
In this article, Madeleine Taylor interviews Kelly McCarthy, Director, IRIS+ and Impact Measurement and Management at the GIIN, about the standardization of impact measurement and management. According to the GIIN’s 2020 Annual Impact Investor Survey, 66 percent of impact investors highlighted that ‘impact washing’ is an incredibly important issue to tackle if the market is to scale. Kelly explains that a goal on itself is not enough but that “it’s also important to be able to demonstrate measurable performance against that goal.” She underscores that “now more than ever, there is a real cry as the world needs companies to act and reflect on a broader number range of topics than those that have been required by regulators, and those typically captured in profit and loss statements.” According to the GIIN, “…impact will become a feature of company performance, just like the liquidity or risk and return profile of an investment.”
