In a world increasingly defined by complex challenges, the need to rethink how we measure progress has never been more urgent. During the 2025 World Economic Forum’s week in Davos, B Lab Switzerland in collaboration with InTent hosted the inaugural Beyond GDP Forum at the SDG Tent, bringing together over 180 leaders and experts to kick off the Swiss Impact & Prosperity Initiative (SIPI). This initiative represents a bold step toward redefining prosperity by moving beyond GDP (gross domestic product) as the sole measure of national success.
For decades, Switzerland has stood for economic strength and innovation. However, traditional reliance on GDP overlooks critical dimensions of prosperity, including environmental sustainability, societal well-being, and equity. SIPI challenges this outdated paradigm by offering a transformative framework that holistically measures a nation’s success.
Switzerland’s long-term orientation, pragmatic approach, and deep commitment to sustainability make it an ideal leader for redefining prosperity. With emissions from Swiss economic activities extending far beyond its borders, SIPI also highlights the country’s global responsibility to act.
The Beyond GDP Forum exemplified the spirit of collaboration central to SIPI. A high-impact panel, moderated by David Bach (President, IMD), explored the transformative potential of measuring prosperity beyond GDP. Panellists shared a common understanding: if we don’t have the right information, we cannot act. As outlined by Jonathan Normand (Founder & CEO, B Lab Switzerland), figures and metrics are the lenses through which we view the world—but which figures are available, and which ones should we be following? These critical questions underpin the development of SIPI, driving home the importance of actionable, relevant data to address the challenges of our time.
Sandrine Dixson-Declève (Co-President, Club of Rome) highlighted this issue, stating:
We need good regulation and good indicators, we have enough data and examples. But we’ve gone into a spiral of translating data into reporting, which is in the hands of 5 companies.
– Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Co-President, Club of Rome
Her comment underscores the urgency of creating accessible and unbiased frameworks that empower collective action, rather than concentrating control in a few entities.
Building on this, the panellists all agreed that a new framework should move away from reporting objectives, ensuring it becomes more accessible to all stakeholders, including – and with special focus on – SMEs. Achieving this requires simplicity. Ambassador Andrea Rauber Saxer (SECO) pointed out that the majority of companies in Switzerland are SMEs, which often lack the resources to handle complex reporting systems. She emphasized that measurements must be straightforward to ensure that businesses of all sizes can participate effectively. This approach would promote inclusivity and ensure broad adoption of the new framework.
After the panel, participants joined table discussions to dive deeper into SIPI’s framework and share ideas for its success. These sessions generated actionable insights and reinforced the collective responsibility to redefine prosperity. Key themes included:
The Swiss Impact & Prosperity Initiative’s framework will evolve through rigorous stakeholder engagement and scientific validation, ensuring its metrics resonate locally and globally. By Q3 2025, SIPI should be ready for broader implementation, positioning Switzerland as a global exemplar in sustainable and inclusive prosperity.
As Jonathan Normand, CEO of B Lab Switzerland, noted, ‘Once again this year, the global risk report has confirmed that, alongside inequality, technological risks, misinformation or conflicts of interest, the most important structural risks are environmental. And this is precisely what we need to address. We need to ask ourselves how we can move from reactive measures to proactive solutions.”
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