When considering corporate social responsibility, many companies tend to look at it with a front-end perspective. The attitude in large is that, “I’ve done everything up to X point, and now it’s hands off for me.” Companies, who take on such a view aren’t necessarily in the wrong. The fact that they are considering sustainability puts them above a large number of businesses.

However, to get to the next level of business sustainability, it’s necessary to consider what the consumer will do with the product after the sale.

Albert Einstein threw down the gauntlet for our human evolution when he said,

“What can I do to fix a broken global economy? Me personally.” It’s a question I’ve heard a lot these past few months as I’ve crisscrossed the US speaking at TED venues, music concerts, the World Affairs Council, bookstores, on radio and TV shows, and at a variety of other forums.

During this election year it is important to recognize that corporations pretty much run the world. Despite the outcome of the elections, they will continue to do so – at least for a while. Whether that is good or bad depends on the questions we ask ourselves – and the answers

The impact investment community continues to grow and the need for increased capital to fund sustainability based investments is at an all-time high. Investors are searching for a way to align their financial returns with their impact objectives.

Lily Scott Trager is the Director of Investing with Impact for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.

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