Private finance helping the public sector
The impact of this SIB is measured in the number of sick leave days. The goal is a reduction of 2.1 sick leave days per employee per year. If the goal is met, public sector participants will realise significant savings, part of which will be returned via the SIB to the investors. Mika Pyykkö, Senior Lead, Impact Investing at Sitra, said: “Although the metric is sick leave days, this SIB targets material improvements in the occupational wellness and workplace well-being of the participants. This should become evident through quality-of-life improvements and more effective functioning of the employer organisation.” The economic effect of sick leave in Finland is approximately 7 billion euros a year. Within the public sector, sick leave accounts for some five per cent of total work time, translating to approximately 2 billion euros a year. Due to variations in bookkeeping practices between the sectors, directly comparable figures are not available. Sitra has been active in building an impact investment ecosystem in Finland for over a year now. It has worked on pilot SIBs with other partners, the most significant of which is the occupational well-being SIB that has been launched now. Sitra has decided to commit up to 1.5 million euros to Epiqus Occupational Well-being I as part of its own mission-related activity. The SIB model originates from the UK. It facilitates the use of private capital particularly for preventive interventions that the public sector often struggles to finance adequately. The international applications of the model include foster care, recidivism and long-term unemployment. The occupational well-being focus of the first SIB in Finland is reportedly the first such application worldwide. Epiqus Oy, the first regulated impact investment fund manager in the Nordic countries, manages capital to create measurable social and environmental impact alongside financial return. Epiqus dedicates 50% of its profits to social and environmental mission goals. Epiqus is AIFMD-registered (the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive), a member of the Global Impact Investing Network and signatory to the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment. www.epiqus.com Me-säätiö, a foundation endowed by Ilkka Paananen and Mikko Kodisoja, is dedicated to reducing social exclusion and inequality in Finland, particularly among children, young people and families. The foundation actively seeks new innovative financing solutions for the social interventions that are at the core of its mission. www.mesaatio.fi The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra is a future-oriented organisation that promotes Finland’s competitiveness and the well-being of the Finnish people. Sitra’s New working life and sustainable economy theme area promotes workplace renewal and economic sustainability through novel operating and financing models. http://www.sitra.fi/en/economy/impact-investingImpact Investing: un movimento globale in ascesa
Secondo il Rapporto GIIN 2017, l’ammontare dei capitali investiti per progetti a impatto sociale è in continua ascesa
Il fenomeno dell’impact investing ha suscitato, fin dalle sue prime sperimentazioni, un grande interesse sia da parte degli investitori, attirati da un mercato caratterizzato da una minore rischiosità, sia da parte delle imprese sociali, interessate ad intercettare nuovi canali finanziari. In breve tempo, l’intento di conciliare ritorno economico ed impatto sociale è diventato un mantra valido per tutti.
Tuttavia per dimostrare che questo non è solo un fenomeno costruito sulle buone intenzioni ma rappresenta effettive opportunità è necessario costruire dei track-record che raccolgano con puntualità dati e siano in grado di restituire le esperienze fatte. Per questo il GIIN – Global Impact Investing Network da sette anni pubblica i risultati della sua survey annuale che coinvolge oltre 100 investitori e che, anno dopo anno, descrive come gli investimenti ad impatto sociale non siano più solo un mercato emergente ed immaturo bensì un movimento che si sta sviluppando a livello globale.