*How* to align profit and purpose: Lessons from the Resilience Institute Podcast

Written By Shoshana Grossman-Crist

Want to know how your organization can balance profit and purpose? I recently sat down with Brad Hook on the Resilience Institute Podcast to unpack exactly that.

From corporate social responsibility training to embedding purpose into your procurement and team systems, we covered the practical shifts (and leadership!) companies need to thrive in a world where business and sustainability go hand-in-hand. This blog builds on that conversation— bringing in more case study details and step-by-step actions to help your team lead with impact and results.

Why “profit & purpose” is more than a trend

People don’t just want to buy from brands— they want to believe in them. Here’s why the smartest companies are embedding social impact deep into their operations (much of it pulled from Points of Light, which does great research on this):

🧠 Talent attraction and retention

Millennials and Gen Z aren't just looking for a paycheck— they’re looking for meaning. Companies that invest in purpose see higher morale, better retention, and stronger performance. That’s one of the most immediate corporate social responsibility benefits: engaged, loyal people.

🛍 Brand value and positioning

Your brand isn’t what you say— it’s what people say about you. Ethical sourcing, transparency, and local investment don’t just make your marketing team happy; they elevate your entire market position.

🤝 New partnerships & access

When you’re serious about social impact, new doors open. NGOs, government agencies, and impact investors are far more likely to collaborate when your business and sustainability strategies are clearly aligned.

🛡 Risk management (the unsexy but vital one)

This isn't just about doing good— it’s about staying in business. Mitigating environmental, reputational, or supply chain risks today helps protect revenue tomorrow. That’s long-term profit and purpose alignment in action.

1. Want impact that sticks? Start with a high-level commitment

What is the north star your company is rallying towards for impact? Define your “why”, make this commitment publically, and ground everyone in the business case for that impact.

2. Bake it into every layer of the business

Siloed CSR is old news. What works? Embedding social impact across departments. This looks like baking it into:

  • Culture: Here’s the deal, without corporate social responsibility training to transform impact from an isolated initiative into a company-wide culture, even the best intentions fall flat. Show how CSR ties into KPIs, core operations, and future growth. Equip staff to walk the talk. This isn’t about fluffy workshops. It’s about embedding change, one team at a time.

  • Leadership: Senior leaders need to model commitment—mention CSR in earnings calls, OKRs, and team meetings.

  • Procurement: Vendor contracts should include sustainable, ethical, and inclusive standards.

  • HR & Talent: Purpose should be part of recruitment, onboarding, and performance conversations.

  • Marketing & Comms: Stop talking about CSR as a separate thing. Weave impact stories into product launches, campaigns, and investor materials.

This is where profit and purpose alignment shifts from a poster on the wall to how business actually gets done.

3. Track the real benefits

Want to prove the business case? Here are KPIs to measure.

  • Behavioral: Examples include internal engagement (ex. number of employee volunteer hours), % suppliers vetted for resilient practices, % of revenue tied to sustainable products, hiring milestones, share of voice from impact-focused content and campaigns

  • Material: Examples include wages improved, emissions cut, water conserved, risks reduced

  • Financial: Examples include cost savings, stakeholder satisfaction, net promoter score, new revenue from sustainable lines, increase in brand equity

Numbers also tell the story, and help your team course correct along the way.

4. Tell the right story, in the right places

In my podcast conversation with Brad Hook, we talked about the power of sharing stories that are both grounded and strategic. 

One tip? Use case studies with both social impact outcomes and business results to move decision-makers. Something like:
“We transitioned 100% of our sourcing to verified social enterprises, and saw a 23% lift in customer retention over 12 months.”

That’s profit and purpose alignment your board and your buyers will care about.

Here’s where to embed your impact narrative:

  • Annual Reports: Include CSR metrics alongside financials. Don’t bury the good stuff.

  • Sales Decks: Include case studies like: “This product sourced from a regenerative supply chain grew 2x faster than our average SKUs.”

  • Marketing: Your team is already talking about purpose. Package those insights onto the side of your milk carton or a postcard inside every box you send.

  • Internal communications: Include employee impact stories in your employee spotlights.

5. Incentivize the behavior you want

Let’s be real: if you want deep integration of impact, you’ve got to build it into incentive structures.

Try this:

  • Tie leadership KPIs to social and environmental milestones

  • Offer bonuses or recognition for teams that hit impact goals

  • Provide supplier incentives for meeting equity or sustainability benchmarks

This kind of alignment reinforces that impact isn’t a passion project— it’s a performance driver.

A case in point: Danone

Let’s zoom in on a real-world example I know intimately.

Danone’s work with the Danone Ecosystem Fund is often held up as a corporate impact success story, and for good reason. Danone is also the world’s largest B-corp. But what people don’t always see how all the pieces tie together.

I had the opportunity to work with Danone on one of its flagship initiatives: an inclusive recycling program. Rather than treating waste management as a PR issue, Danone recognized the critical role of informal waste pickers in regional recycling systems— and built business strategy around supporting and elevating them. The results? Better recycling rates, stronger communities, and a more resilient supply chain.

🇧🇷 Brazil: Novo Ciclo leads the way

Danone’s Novo Ciclo project, supported by the Danone Ecosystem Fund and partners like Fundación Avina and INSEA, is widely recognized as a leader for inclusive recycling. Standout results include:

  • Creation of a national network of waste picker cooperatives

  • Use of smartphone technology to help waste pickers manage their businesses

  • 29,556 tons of recyclables collected each year

  • 1,348 waste pickers and technicians with an secured or increased revenue

  • Contributions to shaping Brazil’s inclusive recycling policy framework

This is corporate social responsibility in its most impactful form: improving livelihoods and helping achieve environmental targets— all while creating a stronger supply chain and meeting national Extended Producer Responsibility law.

🇲🇽 Mexico: Scaling through commitment and systems

In Mexico, Danone’s focus has been on building systems that are both ambitious and scalable. Highlights include:

  • A corporate-wide commitment to make 100% of packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2030

  • The packaging of their subsidiary Mexican water company, Bonafont, packaging is already 100% recyclable, with 41% made from recycled materials

  • Integration of informal waste collectors into formal cooperatives, a key step toward professionalization and dignity in work

Danone Mexico’s strategy connects environmental outcomes with economic empowerment— proof that corporate social responsibility benefits don’t have to trade off with business efficiency.

Let’s look at the DNA running through Danone’s approach:

  • Collaboration with local NGOs, cooperatives, and public agencies to co-create solutions

  • Social inclusion of informal waste collectors as key players in the circular economy

  • Investment in infrastructure and training—not just equipment, but capacity-building

  • Clear alignment with Danone’s broader business and sustainability goals, including more reliable access to recycled materials and stronger brand trust

This wasn’t charity. It was a strategy. And it worked because Danone backed its sustainability targets with local partnerships and real resources.

The takeaway?

Danone didn’t create impact by launching a campaign or donating to a cause. They created it by embedding social inclusion into the heart of their operations. They turned waste management into a platform for shared value.

It’s a model more companies should be studying. Because the result is a smarter, more sustainable business.

Quick-start guide: 5 moves to go from inkling to initiative

1. Set your corporate impact goal (This gives you your north star).

2. Get the right team around the table and invest in corporate responsibility training, coaching or expert guidance (This empowers your team).

3. Define a pilot impact project (This focuses your efforts).

4 Design and launch this pilot project (This gets you momentum and learnings)

5. Measure social and business outcomes and share your story (This builds credibility, your community, your income, and more momentum)

Then, of course, scale what works. Because here’s the truth: social impact doesn’t slow you down. When done well, it sharpens your edge.

Resources to keep you going

  • Our Corporate Impact Services – Customized support to help you turn your idea into a live initiative.

To stay up-to-date with tips and tools to achieve profit AND transform the world without spending your entire budget on a consultant follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter.

Shoshana Grossman-Crist
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