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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

INSIGHTS

  • SIPI stands for the Swiss Impact & Prosperity Initiative, led by B Lab Switzerland. It is a cross-sector initiative designed to redefine prosperity by aligning economic growth with social equity, environmental sustainability, and human well-being.

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    At its core, SIPI believes that true prosperity lies in balancing economic performance with environmental stewardship, human well-being, and social equity. 

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    SIPI is:

    • A collaborative platform involving businesses, policymakers, researchers, and civil society.

    • A pioneer in developing the Enduring Prosperity Framework (EPF) and Enduring Prosperity Scorecard (EPS).

    • Focused on turning "Beyond GDP" thinking into practical tools and incentives for action.

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    Building on existing “beyond GDP” and “beyond profit” frameworks, SIPI addresses critical governance gaps, especially the fragmentation of metrics and approaches across different actors. Through the Enduring Prosperity Lighthouse, SIPI is developing — and piloting in Switzerland — an integrated system that connects businesses, research institutions, civil society and public policy under a shared sustainability framework — the Enduring Prosperity Framework. 

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    The initiative aims to deliver concrete insights and decision-making tools to foster inclusive, regenerative and resilient growth, guided by a shared definition of enduring prosperity and grounded in intergenerational stewardship.

  • GDP remains the dominant metric for economic performance, but is limited: 

    • It ignores climate resilience, mental health, community trust, and future well-being.

    • It does not differentiate between regenerative and extractive activities.

    • It excludes business-level and local-level performance.

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    These limitations have driven the emergence of alternative "beyond GDP" frameworks. As the world moves beyond Agenda 2030, the upcoming revision of the System of National Accounts presents a unique opportunity to define a new, integrated standard for measuring inclusive and sustainable progress. SIPI responds to these gaps by providing a multidimensional framework—EPF—that complements GDP with holistic and actionable prosperity indicators and decision-making tools.

  • The EPF is SIPI’s decision-making architecture, integrating four forms of capital:

    • Economic: Value creation, innovation, infrastructure

    • Social: Trust, participation, governance

    • Human: Skills, health, opportunity

    • Natural: Climate stability, biodiversity, resources

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    It is shaped by five guiding principles:

    • Justice & Fairness

    • Respect of Planetary Boundaries

    • Transgenerational Responsibility

    • Resilience & Antifragility

    • Values Reconciliation

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    Using shared indicators, digital tools, and systems thinking, EPF provides a blueprint for action across all sectors. It supports the implementation of strategies that balance short-term goals with long-term value creation, taking into account critical interdependencies.

    • The EPS is the measurement engine at the heart of SIPI. It translates the principles of the EPF into a practical, data-driven tool for tracking and improving prosperity across four capitals:

    • Provides 5–10 indicators per capital, covering key dimensions like equity, innovation, well-being, and environmental impact.

    • Enables decision-making at the business, sectoral, and policy levels with forward-looking and (near-)real-time insights.

    • Supports benchmarking, incentives, and scenario modeling through digital platforms and stakeholder engagement.

      EPS is designed to complement existing reporting standards and to serve as a bridge between strategy, governance, and day-to-day operations—empowering stakeholders to move from reporting to results.

  • SIPI brings together businesses, policymakers, academics, civil society organizations, and technical experts.

    It includes:

    • Sounding Board: Senior leaders providing strategic direction.

    • Scientific & Technical Council: Experts ensuring methodological & practical effectiveness.

    • Consortium Members: Companies and organisations piloting the framework.

    • Expert Groups: Specialists developing topics and sector-specific metrics.

  • SIPI, via the EPF, enables organizations to align impact with strategy — facilitating better risk management, regulatory alignment, and stakeholder trust — by providing businesses with:

    • Actionable insights for integrating sustainability into business strategies.

    • A structured decision-making framework that aligns with and shapes policies.

    • A competitive edge by unlocking sustainable, impact-driven innovation and growth.

    • Access to incentives and recognition as a frontrunner in sustainable transformation.

  • Unlike previous initiatives, SIPI is:
     

    • Implementation-focused: Goes beyond theory to deploy real tools and incentives.

    • Private-sector integrated: Engages businesses from day one.

    • Decision-driven: Connects data to action through pragmatic frameworks and real-time indicators.

    • Scalable and adaptive: Designed for deployment at business, sector, and national levels

  • SIPI offers a data-rich, participatory platform to help policymakers:

    • Align economic policies with social and environmental resilience.

    • Anticipate long-term risks and systemic vulnerabilities.

    • Engage businesses and communities in shaping inclusive public value.

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    Tools like the EPS complement GDP by integrating well-being, equity, and sustainability into national strategies.

  • SIPI’s short-term goals (2025):

    • Build a broad coalition of actors (businesses, policymakers, and civil society)

    • Pilot the Enduring Prosperity Framework  (EPF) in the four sectors (see answer 12)

    • Validate core indicators for the Enduring Prosperity Scorecard

    • Form a cross-sector consortium to co-develop the Enduring Prosperity Framework (EPF)

    • Host national stakeholder dialogues to co-design implementation pathways
       

    Outcome: A living framework shaped by pertinent use cases and collective intelligence.

     

    SIPI’s mid-term goals (2026–2027):

    • Scale implementation across additional sectors

    • Strengthen partnerships and promote policy integration at national level

    • Embed the EPF into strategic planning and capital allocation processes

    • Launch a digital prosperity platform for collaboration, benchmarking, and innovation

    • Create a network of “Transformation Labs” to localize and scale learning
       

    Outcome: A dynamic system for experimentation, learning, and scaling across sectors and regions, culminating in the first Swiss Prosperity Benchmark Report.

     

    SIPI’s long-term goals (2028 & beyond):

    • Institutionalise EPS into national accounting systems

    • Use EPS insights to inform investment criteria and incentive mechanisms

    • Position Switzerland as a global testbed for regenerative economic models

    • Launch a Global Center for Enduring Prosperity hosted in Switzerland
       

    Outcome: Swiss Enduring Prosperity Lighthouse: Switzerland leads by doing—pioneering a globally relevant model of enduring prosperity

  • SIPI complements and builds on global initiatives such as:

    • The UN’s Beyond GDP processes

    • The OECD’s well-being and Inclusive Growth indicators

    • The EU’s sustainable finance regulations & CSRD


    SIPI bridges global sustainability frameworks with local deployment tools, tailored to the Swiss and international context.

  • You can engage with SIPI in various ways:

    • Join the Consortium as a business or institution shaping SIPI and pioneering pilot projects.

    • Become part of an Expert Group as an academic, industry specialist, or policymaker.

    • Support SIPI’s advocacy and outreach efforts to drive the adoption of Beyond GDP metrics.

    • Participate in events and discussions, including high-level forums and strategic roundtables.
       

    Reach out to SIPI’s team to explore partnership opportunities.
    Contact: sipi@blab-switzerland.ch

  • SIPI prioritises four key sectors during its pilot phase:
     

    • Health (pharmaceuticals, life sciences, healthcare services)

    • Food Systems (agriculture, food production, nutrition, waste management)

    • Industrial Manufacturing (industrial production, advanced technologies, supply chains)

    • Infrastructure (construction, urban planning, digital infrastructure)
       

    Cross-cutting enablers are finance and innovation, education and communication, policy and governance, technology and analytics.

  • The Sounding Board consists of senior leaders who:

    • Provide strategic guidance and oversight.

    • Champions SIPI’s mission across public and private sector.

    • Facilitate high-level partnerships and innovation.

    • Supports international visibility and credibility

  • SIPI is supported through a combination of:

    • Consortium members’ contributions (financial and in-kind) 

    • Grants from private donors and foundation 

    • Research and innovation grants (e.g., Innosuisse)

    • Strategic partnerships with sustainability-focused organisations

  • SIPI offers short-term incentives to encourage participation, including:

    • Preparedness for changing and emerging sustainability-aligned regulations for businesses.

    • Advanced access to the data-sharing and analytics platform.

    • Public recognition and awards for leading organisations.

    • Networking and collaboration opportunities with industry leaders and policy makers.

  • SIPI’s Collaborative Portal ensures secure data collection and management by:

    • Implementing strict confidentiality measures and controlled access protocols.

    • Providing businesses with a private, secure environment for data input.

    • Maintaining transparency and compliance with Swiss and international data standards.

  • SIPI complements tools like B Corp Certification, Swiss Triple Impact (STI), and Swiss Boards for Agenda 2030 (SBA 2030) by positioning corporate sustainability, inclusion and wellbeing actions within a broader national and international framework, effectively connecting enterprise impact with systemic transformation.

    SIPI builds on the legacy of B Lab Switzerland by:

    • Scaling up from firm-level tools (e.g., B Corp, STI)

    • Aligning business actions with systemic and national prosperity frameworks

    • Offering a bridge between company-level action and policy-level change

  • GRI and similar standards focus on disclosure. SIPI focuses on decision-making and transformation: 
     

    • EPS supports forward-looking, impact-oriented strategies

    • SIPI bridges the gap between disclosure and meaningful action

    • It complements existing ESG standards by offering a multidimensional lens
       

    SIPI drives concerted actions designed to measure progress and inform pathways towards long-term prosperity at both business and national levels. It fosters a forward-looking, data-driven, and action-oriented approach to ensuring Enduring Prosperity of nations and businesses.

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