Business is driven by profit, Shared Value and how companies can use this business strategy to find where the biggest growth opportunities lies in the Shared Value approach reconnects business success with social progress, positing that it is not only possible but indeed preferable from a business perspective to focus on creating both economic value for its shareholders and value for society. For too long, businesses have been operating as if they are in a vacuum, with little thought for their impact on society and the environment. Shared Value challenges businesses to find a social issue that intersects with their business and address it – without impacting their bottom line. It is a strategic shift that integrates purpose into a business’s operations at every level, making a long-term difference to their social and/or environmental impact as well as their bottom line. It’s not about sharing the value created or spreading some once-off goodwill as a PR stunt. It’s about doing business consciously, about innovating new ways to respect our diminishing natural resoures.When Shared Value is properly implemented, everybody wins – including the business. Companies do not have to choose between making profits and making a difference. In addition, with consumers becoming better informed and more critical as information becomes more widely available, a business without purpose is going to find itself at a disadvantage. The consumer is savvy, too – they know the difference between a band-aid and a real solution. Shared Value also helps businesses to identify and exploit gaps in the market and make their own value chain more cost-effective and efficient. At the end of the day, a business grounded in true purpose that is implemented from the top-down is better prepared for the shifts in the business landscape that are already happening and will continue to happen over the next decades. Shared Value is a strategy for sustainability.