2018 Open Letter to the G20 Governments

A coalition of over 2,500 B Corps, business leaders, and impact investors issued this open letter to G20 governments in November 2018, calling for systemic economic transformation. Coordinated by The B Team, B Lab, the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment, and Sistema B, the letter diagnoses critical failures of the current economic model: extreme wealth inequality, environmental destruction, and eroded social trust despite decades of GDP growth.

The signatories argue that incremental change is insufficient and propose three concrete actions for G20 leaders. First, establish a commission to develop a "positive impact economy" with policies mandating social and environmental impact reporting and new accounting standards. Second, create mechanisms for for-benefit corporations across all G20 nations. Third, convene stakeholders to establish investment rules prioritizing triple bottom line returns—balancing profit with social and environmental impact.

This resource illuminates the business case for responsible leadership and demonstrates how global business figures mobilize collective action on sustainability. It offers practical frameworks for integrating impact measurement into corporate governance and investment decisions, making it valuable for leadership development and organizational strategy contexts.