Across Asia, businesses are finding different ways to pursue commercial returns while seeking to create social value. Social impact can start with a founder’s conviction, market opening or a business challenge. It can take shape through the products and services a company develops, the way it operates, or the markets it helps create. What turns these starting points into a sustained commitment, and how do corporate leaders respond when commercial and social priorities pull in different directions?
Paths to Purpose is a case study series by the Centre for Asian Philanthropy & Society (CAPS) exploring how businesses across the region pursue profit and purpose together. Looking across Asia’s diverse economies, industries and business models, the series explores where and when social impact enters a company, why it pursues a particular approach and how that commitment is sustained under commercial pressure.
Grounded in in-depth interviews, site visits, company documents and public records, together, the cases offer insights into how businesses connect commercial activity with social objectives and what it takes to sustain this overtime.
Paths to Purpose is an ongoing research initiative. New case studies will be published as they become available.
Treasure Carbon: From Credits to Credibility – How a carbon-service company expanded from trading and managing carbon assets to end-to-end project development, to ensure social integrity and commercial viability.
We would like to thank the Alibaba Foundation for their support of this series.