Impact Morning: Impact & ESG

Nora Bogsch
Jan 16
2 min read

Impact as a Core Business Principle

Reflections from Our First Impact Morning

Our first Impact Morning set out to explore a fundamental question: how can deep, ethical values—not value in a purely monetary sense—serve as the true foundation for impact and ESG? The discussion made one thing clear from the outset: impact investing cannot be achieved without authentic ESG practices, and ESG lacks credibility without real, intentional impact.

Throughout the morning, we focused on four essential principles of impact investing: Intentionality, Measurability, Active Management, and Transparent Reporting. These principles provided a practical framework for translating values into concrete, values-based business decisions, rather than treating impact as an abstract concept.

A central takeaway resonated strongly across all discussions: impact must be embedded in the core business model. It should shape strategy, operations, and long-term objectives, instead of standing alone as a “nice-to-have” initiative. Impact, when done right, is not an add-on—it is an integral part of how a business operates and creates value.

Thanks to the international perspectives of our speakers, the conversation was enriched with real-life examples and case studies from impact-driven entrepreneurs and businesses. These stories demonstrated that integrating impact is not limited by company size or sector; rather, it is driven by commitment and intention.

The Impact Morning concluded with a shared sense of confidence and clarity: if businesses truly wish to create impact, they can do so—whether they are large organizations or small ventures—by grounding their actions in strong values and responsible governance.

We extend our sincere thanks to the Values-based ESG team—Dr. Tibor Héjj, Dr. Markus Ressl (AT), Frank Jungmann (DE), Jean-Marc Ziadé (NL)—as well as to our host and panelist Peter Langmar (STRT) for their insights and contributions to a thoughtful and inspiring start to our Impact Morning series.