Purpose is a competitive edge

For years, many believed that doing good and doing well were mutually exclusive in business.

- Jeremy Lang

But impact investors such as Business Partners Limited have long embraced the dual mandate of driving financial performance while creating meaningful social impact.

Now Deloitte's latest report confirms that companies leading with purpose consistently outperform peers across financial and operational indicators.

Deloitte's research highlights a “purpose premium” - measurable advantages across six drivers of long-term value: brand and reputation, sales and innovation, capital access, operational efficiency, talent, and risk mitigation.

High-purpose brands recorded nearly a 20-percentage point premium in annualised shareholder returns compared to low-purpose peers, and in some cases achieved market-value growth up to four times faster.

While global corporations are formalising purpose strategies, the real opportunity lies with smaller, agile businesses.