This September, the B4SI Team joined global sustainability professionals and leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week.

2025 saw an unprecedented number of events and participants converge on the city. B4SI hosted a social impact leadership gathering, and attended and presented at partner events. But, amid the energy and engagement, a growing absence of representation from the Global South was clearly felt.

It has been a challenging year for sustainability and social impact practitioners, and the week’s conversations reflected that reality. Against the backdrop of a constantly shifting regulatory landscape and significant cuts to nonprofit funding, you could sense both urgency and camaraderie in the air.

Practitioners were impatient to move things forward amidst a year of headwinds, and excited to finally share space with like-minded partners to discuss the how.

As the dust settles, we’ve taken time to reflect on our key takeaways – and what comes next:

1. It still comes down to people

The narrative around “climate justice” and “just transition” continues to be scrutinised, with open discussions about how these terms should be used. At their core, these concepts are about people: the social impacts of energy and climate action projects on local populations; risks and opportunities tied to local communities. Not only does the principle of a truly just transition remain relevant – the ‘S’ of ESG is taking centre stage in 2025 for shaping equitable and inclusive climate strategies.

2. Focusing on opportunities to create resilience

Companies are realising that focusing on opportunities enables growth and resilience. Rather than focusing solely on compliance, many are leveraging their expertise and resources to actively create opportunities for positive impact. This marks a notable shift from only a year ago, when climate and social impact were largely framed as compliance issues and regulatory obligations. In 2025, despite headwinds of regulatory rollbacks, this evolving mindset focused on opportunities offers a renewed sense of possibility – one where companies are not just expected to respond to risks, but to proactively shape a more sustainable and resilient future.

3. Social entrepreneurship is emerging to tackle social and environmental issues

Whether speaking about environmental or social issues, companies consistently pointed to the complexity of their supply chains. According to research from the World Economic Forum, this is where two-thirds of a company’s risks and opportunities exist. Companies like SAP and PwC are looking to their supply chains not just to mitigate those risks, but to unlock opportunities. Working with actors such as The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Purchasing with Purpose, and local social enterprises enables companies to leverage their corporate resources to increase capacity for social enterprises and drive social impact. This signals a shift where corporations are increasingly harnessing business innovation, procurement and collaboration to help address systemic challenges – to benefit society and business resilience.

4. Corporate foundations are becoming social innovation incubators

Some companies are also using their corporate foundations as incubators to develop products and services to advance social good. This was the case for AB InBev, a company that presented at the Concordia Summit about how they employ their foundation to develop more health-conscious products. Generali also mobilised its resources and foundation to develop The Human Safety Net—a movement focused on supporting refugee families and start-ups with the tools and networks to thrive. Corporate foundations are proving that purpose-driven experimentation can unlock scalable solutions that support core business.

5. Collective action is mandatory

Despite notable efforts and progress, social and environmental challenges persist. During one meeting with a B4SI member, a critical question was raised: why haven’t these efforts translated into the global change we’d all like to see? While we’re seeing amazing innovations and partnerships being struck, persistent issues like social inequality remain, and their consequences continue to surface. Tackling systemic social issues – intrinsically linked to climate and sustainability – will require more than isolated initiatives; it will demand multi-stakeholder action.  

Communities of practice like those convened by the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), the Taskforce for Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD), the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and others are pioneering this kind of collaboration, offering promising spaces for shared learning, experimentation, and scale. B4SI, on behalf of our global network of companies, works closely with such organisations, being actively part of working groups and a trusted partner and collaborator for multi-stakeholder initiatives.

Social impact, at its core, is fundamentally about people. At Climate Week, it may not always be the first thing that comes to mind – yet it’s people who are most affected by challenges, and it is also people who are driving the solutions forward.

We left New York inspired by the bravery, creativity, and resilience of individuals across so many companies, sectors, and communities who continue to show up and push for change.

The conversations reaffirmed that collaboration and solidarity are essential – no single actor, whether a company, government, or NGO, can achieve social goals alone. Meaningful progress is happening as we work together, share insights, and align around a shared purpose.