60 Decibels

What if investing in women wasn’t just an impact strategy—but the best way to drive returns? During our recent webinar, Natasha Dinham (Roots of Impact) shared this insight: "We were completely sector agnostic. All we wanted to do was create as much impact as we could. But when we looked back at our transactions, we realized that over 50% had a gender component. Why? Because that was just how we could create the most impact." The data is clear: > Incentivizing change – models like Impact-Linked Finance are rewarding companies for creating gender-equitable outcomes. > Customer voice matters—businesses that listen to women are making smarter financial decisions. > We need to move beyond tracking women’s participation and start measuring real outcomes. 📢 Missed the full discussion with Natasha Dinham (Roots of Impact), Rachna Saxena (Dalberg Advisors), and Raania Rizvi (Gates Foundation), moderated by Venu Aggarwal (60 Decibels)? Watch it here: https://lnkd.in/eQT9b7dZ Find out more about our work in gender and impact measurement: https://lnkd.in/eG8_v_We Get in touch: https://lnkd.in/e6CaMmby

Measuring impact isn’t the finish line—it’s the starting point for making better decisions, allocating resources more wisely, and creating lasting change. > What are the key challenges your customers are facing? > What is the impact of your work on people's live? > What’s % of your customers are accessing this good/service for the first time? These are the questions leading investors, corporations, and NGOs are answering with 60 Decibels. Our approach goes beyond surface-level metrics to get real, actionable insights from the people who matter most—your customers. See the kinds of indicators we're measuring below, or get in touch to find out more: https://lnkd.in/e3HxbFQh

Today is #WorldConsumerRightsDay, a reminder that access to fair, transparent, and ethical business practices isn’t just a privilege—it’s a right. In the off-grid energy sector, where millions rely on solar solutions for their daily needs, protecting these rights is crucial. A lack of clear payment terms, inflexible financing, and inadequate consumer support can lead to financial stress and limit access to essential energy. In partnership with GOGLA, we've been listening to off-grid energy consumers and companies to understand the challenges—and solutions—when it comes to consumer protection and financing. > Consumer Protection Report 2024 (https://lnkd.in/eyMMrYZa) – Based on feedback from 12,000+ customers across 40+ solar energy companies, this report uncovers key insights into contract transparency, payment flexibility, and service quality. > Consumer Financing Brief 2024 (https://lnkd.in/eHfrzQ5z) – A deep dive into financing models across 59 off-grid energy companies, revealing gaps in consumer education, repayment support, and financial vulnerability safeguards. When consumers are informed, protected, and treated fairly, everyone wins—businesses, investors, and most importantly, the people relying on off-grid energy to power their lives. Let’s make consumer rights a priority—today and every day. cc: Kat Harrison, Susie Wheeldon, Adelina Alexandru

This month, we're excited to put the spotlight on Hellen Alvarado, an Associate on our LatAm team. Hellen has been with 60 Decibels since 2022 and is heavily involved in our agriculture and climate resilience work. Tell us a little bit about your journey with 60 Decibels Before joining 60 Decibels, I envisioned a more traditional career in the humanitarian sector, having worked in public policy and international development while also volunteering with the Colombian Red Cross. However, when I came across 60 Decibels, I was immediately drawn to its approach—helping organizations collect and analyze data to generate actionable insights. What resonated most with me was the opportunity to hear directly from the people impacted by these efforts: a farmer working with a coffee company, an entrepreneur with a microloan, a student striving for a better future. What is your favorite project you've worked on? One of my favorite projects was the Farmer Thriving Index (https://lnkd.in/ewUY89Du) with Fundación Alpina. This tool captures farmers' well-being, food security, resilience, and future expectations by listening directly to them in a standardized way. A key insight from this project was that farmers who received agroecological training reported increased productivity and greater resilience to climate shocks— with women experiencing even more significant benefits than men. You can learn more in this article: https://lnkd.in/eyYN2H5U What excites you most this year at 60dB? I’m currently leading a series of agriculture projects in Latin America. I’m passionate about fostering growth in this sector and especially interested in collaborating with companies focused on regenerative agriculture or assessing their impact on farmers' resilience to climate shocks. -- Catch all of our Agriculture reports, resources and case studies over on our website (https://lnkd.in/eyFD_5RG) and be the first to hear about our sector updates (https://lnkd.in/eby-PfgV). Or check out our latest work within Latin America: https://lnkd.in/emERvrXa

Meet our Climate Resilience Benchmark! 🎉 After piloting our Climate Resilience Module across 10 projects, 6 countries, and 2,400+ voices, we now have a Climate Resilience Score—a benchmark organizations can use to understand and improve their resilience. > Built from key indicators: preparedness, ability to cope, and recovery time > Designed to work across sectors—agriculture, finance, energy, and more > Helping organizations and investors make data-driven decisions For organizations navigating climate risks, this means more clarity, better comparisons, and actionable insights. Find out more and get in touch about measuring your organization's impact on resilience: https://lnkd.in/eK2x_Y5S

📣 Aplicaciones para el Propel Fellowship ya están abiertas Buscan líderes sociales con visión y determinación para escalar su impacto con tecnología. Si trabajas por el cambio social en América Latina, esta es tu oportunidad. ¿Qué obtendrás? > Un plan para hacer crecer tu organización > Una comunidad de +200 líderes sociales en LatAm > Recursos para potenciar tu recaudación de fondos 📅 Aplica hasta Marzo 17 en: https://lnkd.in/d7aRT-xs

🤔 The EU's Omnibus Legislation may seem like a step backwards, but it still holds promise for advancing climate responsibility and tackling human rights issues —what does this complex proposal really mean for Europe's sustainability future? ▶️ As we digest last week's European Commission's Omnibus proposal, which consolidates the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and EU Taxonomy, it's clear that it represents a significant retrenchment from previous ambitions. Let's break down the key changes: - CSRD: The threshold for "large undertakings" has been raised to companies with over 1,000 employees, reducing the number of companies in scope by a whopping 80%. Reporting requirements for new cohorts are also delayed by two years. - CSDDD: Due diligence obligations now focus on direct suppliers rather than entire value chains, and assessments of due diligence policies are extended from annual to every five years. Reporting requirements are also delayed by one year. 🤑 Much has also rightly been made of the lopsided rationale provided by the Commission which focuses on a regulatory cost narrative (check out the excellent Andreas Rasche). The delays to the passage of the legislation will only add further uncertainty as well as frustration for those companies who had started to prepare themselves for the changes (Tom Carr is typically clear sighted on this). 🌿 And yet despite all this, if we take a giant step back the proposals still mark progress in sustainability regulation. Core principles like double-materiality and external assurance remain intact, and whilst due diligence policies may formerly only require a review every half a decade, companies may still be required to look more regularly at their performance in order to properly understand their efficacy. 💚 So while the Omnibus has narrowed the regulations scope and introduced delays, the need for robust sustainability practices persists. At 60 Decibels we remain optimistic about the future of sustainability reporting and due diligence in the EU. The Omnibus might not be the bold step forward many had hoped for, but with so much negative news emerging relating to efforts to maintain or promote positive social impact, the proposal does at least keep sustainability on the EU legislative agenda. #Sustainability #EUOmnibus #HumanRightsDueDiligence

Measuring impact is powerful—it shines a spotlight on what is working and what needs a closer look to turn good intentions into real results. But it’s not always straightforward. Data can be difficult to gather, results aren’t always easy to compare, and making sense of it all to drive action takes effort. We see these challenges all the time—our approach (https://lnkd.in/efsYs3aK) is centred around making impact measurement easier, more comparable, and more actionable. For those actively measuring the impact of your solution, company or portfolio, we're interested to hear – which of the following do you find to be the biggest challenge? (Or if its something else, let us know in the comments)

We believe #InternationalWomensDay is more than a day to celebrate. It’s a moment to reflect, recognize progress, and commit to action. Today, we’re sharing Nina’s story. As a farmer and community leader in Puerto Leguizamo, Colombia, she supplies camu camu to Selva Nevada, an artisanal ice cream company that sources from smallholder farmers in post-conflict regions. Through this partnership, she has found greater economic stability and a stronger sense of community. Stories like this one highlight the power of opportunity—but they also remind us how much work remains. That's why on March 11th, we’re hosting a live session on The Future of Gender Lens Financing, where leading experts will discuss the role of customer data and lived experiences in shaping more inclusive financial systems. 🎟 Register here: https://lnkd.in/eRnB_tfm cc: 2X Global, Raania Rizvi, Rachna Saxena, Natasha Dinham, Venu Aggarwal, Gates Foundation, Dalberg, Roots of Impact, ImpactAlpha, NextBillion, Responsible Investor

How does early access to wages affect employees' financial habits? Earned Wage Access (EWA) lets workers access part of their paycheck before payday. While it's growing rapidly in emerging markets, limited research on the impact of EWA leaves questions about its benefits, costs, opportunities, and risks. We've just released findings from studying three EWA providers in Vietnam, India, and Malaysia—told through the voices of users. Our latest research explores how employees use EWA, its impact on financial well-being, and what it means for employers. Discover 5 key findings, user stories and full results: https://lnkd.in/esJgEWXE #earnedwageaccess #financialinclusion #impactdata