On March 11^th, three of the Aspen Institute’s First Movers came to Roosevelt House to talk about the role of business in social change.

Moderated by Heidi Moore, the U.S. Finance and Economic Editor at The Guardian, the panelists explored the idea that activism can come out of unlikely places. Lines are blurring between the roles that the public, private, and non-profit sectors play. Today, buzz words like collective impact are changing the way that policymakers think about tackling problems. Corporations often exert great influence geographically, economically, and socially as they try to engage markets and maintain a presence in people’s lives. Can this reach be used as an effective platform for social innovation?

Dawn Baker certainly thinks so. As Director of Corporate Strategy Development at Dow Chemical, Baker works to align Dow’s offerings with strategic priorities. As she pointed, sustainability is in the company’s existential interest. If Dow and other industry actors do not conserve resources and think long-term, there will be no future for the company to function within.

Many companies funnel some of these ideas into a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department that aims to improve a company’s image by supporting initiatives for social good. But responsibility and sustainability must go beyond their marketing value to make an impact. As Manoj Fenelon, Director of Foresight at PepsiCo In., emphasized, “CSR doesn’t touch the core of what the company is about.” If CSR priorities are made separate from those of the company, this limits the potential for impact. Fenelon equated it to “sinning six days a week and doing penance on Sundays.” It may change what some people think about the company, but without real strategy and integration into larger priorities, it will do little else.

This is where the potential exists to change existing paradigms and create new possibilities. John Renehan, the Power and Water Strategic Initiatives Manager at GE shared his enthusiasm for the nexus at which all the First Movers are working. He talked about how his position allows him to “re-frame the question” of the bottom line through powerful storytelling in addition to solid business work. A seat at this table allows people like Renehan to draw attention to the fact that social causes traditionally delegated to the public and non-profit sectors have great weight for the future of the private sector.

The social, economic, and environmental sustainability a company builds for itself can have meaningful impact on its ability to compete in a changing world. With new capabilities such as big data and mobile technology, such impact can now more easily be measured in costs and benefits for the company and the wider community. “This,” Renehan pointed out excitedly, “is a real opportunity for change.”