From Values to Value? The Complexities and Potentials of Impact Valuation
Type
conference contribution
Date Issued
2025-08-27
Author(s)
Abstract
Does the path to more responsible and purpose-driven businesses lie in the accurate and effective valuation of social and environmental impacts? This Professional Development Workshop (PDW) explores the growing field of impact valuation - the process of attributing value (monetary or non-monetary) to social, environmental, and economic impacts - as a cornerstone of impact measurement and valuation practices. While valuation promises to be an anchor for better decision-making and to enhance transparency and comparability, it also introduces challenges related to the conception, methodology, ethics, and governance of “values”. This PDW will focus on how corporate impacts are understood, conceptualized and valuated, by examining approaches like cost-based accounting (e.g., costs to restore environmental damage) and societal valuation (e.g., broader economic value of societal benefits or detriments). Through a moderated debate and dynamic roundtable discussions, participants will gain critical insights into the practical applications of valuation approaches and frameworks. This session will urge participants to reflect on the broader implications of turning societal and environmental outcomes into non-financial KPIs, qualitative and quantitative assessments as well as monetary metrics.