Insights

Making an impact is no longer the exclusive domain of foundations, non-profits or philanthropic funds.

There was an appealing challenge for Marijke Troost, programme manager Doenkracht at a.s.r., and Marjolein Breed, Doenkracht adviser at a.s.r. and former CSR manager at Aegon Nederland. With the merger of a.s.r. and Aegon, it was up to them to bring together the social programmes of the two insurers into one successful programme. And they succeeded, together with Impact House from Grant Thornton.

Demonstrating the effects of preventive policy measures in healthcare is often difficult. On the one hand, because the expected effects are unclear, and on the other because the objectives of these measures and interventions are often formulated too broadly. As a result, the activities of the professionals delivering care and support spread across many areas and in many directions. How do you ensure that you can properly measure the effects and the impact afterwards?

In this article, we take you through how to approach impact measurement when working with (young) children. For them, it is often difficult to reflect on change using standard impact questions and research approaches. We share our experiences from the study conducted for the ELJA Foundation, focusing on the Sing & Dance UP! project for children.

In recent years, much has been written about measuring impact in the arts and culture sector – sometimes encouraging, but often critical. This is also evident in the discussions surrounding the most recent allocations of cultural subsidies. In this insight, we take you through how we at Impact House – part of Grant Thornton – think about measuring impact in the arts and culture sector.

Sustainability has become an essential part of marketing and corporate communication in recent years. At the same time, the market has become flooded with self invented sustainability labels and vague terms such as “eco friendly”, “sustainable”, “biobased” and “green”.

For organisations that will fall under the reporting obligation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) from FY2027 onwards, 2026 will be a crucial year of preparation. The way in which organisations handle sustainability reporting in the coming years will continue to shape their strategic direction. After all, sustainability reporting is evolving further into a strategic steering tool: it helps organisations better manage their impact, risks, and opportunities, make progress visible, and communicate transparently to stakeholders.

As the impact economy matures, financing structures are evolving to offer alternatives to traditional debt and equity. Investors increasingly aim to align financial returns with measurable social and environmental outcomes, while impact-driven companies all over the world seek patient capital that supports growth without compromising their mission.

Many organisations acknowledge that identifying and addressing negative impacts in their value chain is essential, yet internal discussions often stall at the same point. Without concrete, financially grounded insights, teams can find it difficult to secure resources, prioritise efforts, or engage decision‑makers effectively.

Sustainability reporting is becoming increasingly important. Not only because of the arrival of guidelines such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and voluntary standards such as VSME.

On Tuesday 16 December 2025, the European Parliament adopted key decisions to reduce the scope of sustainability regulations (CSRD and CSDDD). For entrepreneurs, this means less complex compliance requirements.

The Life Science VC Sustainability Initiative, now representing 28 leading Life Science General Partner Investors, continues to advance a unified approach to sustainability across the European Life Science investment community. Supported by Impact House by Grant Thornton, the Initiative has launched its 2026 ESG questionnaire, now available for free download.

The European Commission’s revised Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR 2.0), published on 20 November 2025, introduces a major restructuring of the EU’s sustainable finance framework.

On 13 November, the European Parliament voted to significantly reduce the obligations and scope of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). This means it is likely that the European institutions will adjust the regulatory requirements for businesses in the field of sustainability. Many are left wondering what exactly is expected of them in terms of their value chain. This uncertainty causes many companies to freeze, waiting for the fog to clear.

Sustainability is under pressure worldwide. Political unrest, economic uncertainty, and social division are causing organisations to hesitate: push forward or scale back?

On September 23rd, the European Commission proposed to delay the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by another year due to technical issues with the IT system (TRACES) that supports the regulation's compliance processes. In this article we will explain what this delay means for companies and what you can do.