What is the overarching purpose of a company and how does this purpose help to solve challenges of humanity? Meanwhile, this question is of strategic importance to decision-makers in many companies. In light of climate change, digitization and globalization, geopolitical changes and demographic change, more and more employees, investors, customers and suppliers raise the question what the company is doing beyond growth and return.

Against this backdrop, the independent Institute For Executive Affairs (INSTFEA) launches an international “Corporate Purpose Initiative”: we visit large companies around the world and identify their overarching purpose and value contribution to important future topics based on a structured questionnaire.

Key findings from workshops in various industries and countries will be aggregated in a “Corporate Purpose Study 2020” and analyzed by experts (e.g. futurologists, financial and legal experts). The Corporate Purpose Initiative is non-profit and acts in a climate-neutral manner, i.e. expenses are borne by sponsors, including CO2 compensation payments for travel. Any surplus will be donated to climate protection projects around the world.