Data and insights
See how BlueMark’s benchmarks, ratings, and data on leading impact investment practices can help drive client insights.
Our reach
*As of September 2024
The BlueMark Practice Benchmark
The BlueMark Practice Benchmark categorizes practice ratings by quartile, providing a mechanism for investors to compare themselves to the current state of practice in the market.
PRACTICE
Learning Practice represents the bottom quartile of our sample (25th percentile and below)
PRACTICE
Median Practice reflects the impact management practices of the median impact investor in our sample (50th percentile).
PRACTICE
Leading Practice represents the top quartile of our sample (75th percentile and above).
BlueMark Practice Leaderboard
The BlueMark Practice Leaderboard was created as a way to highlight those impact investors with best-in-class impact management practices. To earn a spot on the Leaderboard, verified investors must receive top quartile ratings across all eight Practice Verification areas within the benchmark for that year.
Only impact investors that have been verified within the previous two years will be eligible for each year’s Leaderboard to ensure that investors are continuously reassessed against the current state of the market.
Bain Capital Double Impact
- Education & Workforce Development
- Health & Wellness
- Sustainability
BlueOrchard
- Multi-theme
British International Investment
- Productive, Sustainable and Inclusive
Brookfield
- Clean Energy
- Infrastructure
- Climate Change Mitigation
- Resource Efficiency
Calvert Impact Capital
- Access to Community Services
- Climate Change
- Financial Inclusion
Circulate Capital
- Climate Adaption & Resilience
- Climate Change Mitigation
Circularity Capital
- Resource Efficiency
- Climate Change Mitigation
- Climate Adaptation & Resilience
Closed Loop Partners
- Circular Economy
- Materials Management
- Resource Efficiency
- Climate Change Mitigation
Developing World Markets
- Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience
- Financial Inclusion
- Gender Equality
Finance in Motion
- Green Economy
- Climate Finance
- Entrepreneurship & Livelihoods
- Financial Inclusion
Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU)
- Green, just and inclusive transition
KKR Global Impact Funds
LeapFrog Investments
- Financial Inclusion
- Healthcare
- Climate Solutions
Nuveen Private Equity Impact Investing
- Resource Efficiency
- Inclusive Growth
Schroders
- Multi-theme
Trill Impact
- Multi-theme (SDG-aligned impact)
Research
As part of BlueMark’s mission to “strengthen trust in impact and sustainable investing,” we are committed to publishing field-building research based on our analysis of client verifications. These research reports are designed to inform investment practitioners about best practices and shared challenges, thereby driving the entire impact investing field forward.
June 5, 2024
Making the Mark 2024
“Making the Mark V” aims to provide insights and clarity on the “how” of impact investing. Download for free today. Over 110+ investors verified overseeing a combined $233.5 billion in impact AUM.
November 8, 2023
A Field Guide: Impact Due Diligence and Management for Asset Allocators
“A Field Guide: Impact Due Diligence and Management for Asset Allocators” aims to drive more rigor and consistency in how asset allocators evaluate and manage private market funds that invest for positive impacts on people and the planet. Developed in 2023 through interviews with 50+ Limited Partners (LPs) and General Partners (GPs) worldwide, along with desk research, this guide draws from the experiences and practices of experienced LPs and GPs investing in diverse strategies. It
December 13, 2022
“Raising the Bar 2.0: BlueMark’s Framework for Evaluating Impact Reporting”
Download Raising the Bar 2.0 to learn more about BlueMark’s framework for evaluating impact reporting, results from a pilot project with Impact Frontiers, and our insights into emerging best practices for impact reporting.
May 16, 2023
Making the Mark 2023: Benchmarking Impact Management Practice
BlueMark’s fourth annual “Making the Mark” report takes a deeper dive into those impact management practices that are most (or least) common among different segments of the impact and sustainable investing market.
Perspectives and commentary
BlueMark regularly publishes opinion pieces and comment letters to share our perspective on the biggest issues facing impact investors.
August 13, 2024
Are fund managers ready to set targets to hold themselves accountable for impact?
In the early days of impact investing, some investors would make the case for setting impact targets. You can’t manage what you don’t measure, they argued.
The not-always explicit response: Yes, and you can’t be held accountable for what you never promised. The latest Making the Mark report from the impact verification firm BlueMark found that only 42% of clients set impact performance targets as a condition of their investments. A larger number, 58%, work with portfolio companies to set targets after investments are made.
May 28, 2024
The four pillars of impact accountability
There is an obvious appeal to impact investing. While non-profits and grant funders are focused exclusively on fostering positive social, environmental, and cultural change, they do so at the expense of -100% financial returns. On the other hand, traditional finance tends to overlook these critical considerations while prioritizing short-term gains, generating potentially harmful, long-term effects […]
July 10, 2024
Catalysing Capital Towards Impact in Asia Through Family Offices
Family offices, longtime exemplars of values-based investing, are becoming more active impact investors. Among some of the very first movers in the Asian impact investing market, family offices, especially those run by younger generations, are continuing to mobilise capital towards sustainable and impact investments.
Events and webinars
BlueMark regularly hosts webinars and speaks at industry events about impact verification and key trends and challenges across the impact investing industry. Use the video library below to catch up on recent BlueMark speaking appearances.
