The Lesson Behind Fortune’s ‘Change the World’ List

The approach, which we call Creating Shared Value, is moving into the mainstream and growing exponentially. Companies that adopt shared-value thinking remain committed (as they should) to philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. But they’re moving beyond often-fuzzy notions like sustainability and corporate citizenship, and instead making measurable social impact central to how they compete—a powerful counterpoint to the fierce criticisms leveled at business in this tumultuous election year.