The average organization is leaving money, influence, and vital business intelligence on the table. Without even realizing it. 

Over the past decade, our Stanford Lab, in the Graduate School of Business, has researched the impact of positive peace on organizational performance. And it turns out there’s a deep connection.

There were two surprising findings:

1. The technology we all use daily, actually generates metadata we can also use to measure peace, in real-time—and that data also directly impacts how well our organizations perform.

2. More peace behavior occurs in the workplace than anywhere else. It’s where most people learn to be good to others who are different from them. 

The Hague Peace Data Standard

Developed in the Peace Innovation Lab at Stanford, and with the support of the Dutch government and the City of The Hague, we've been working to establish the data format and standard that will allow anyone, anywhere in the world, who uses technology in their daily activity, to measure their peace impact. 

We call it the Hague Peace Data Standard (HPDS).

The result? 

High-resolution, real-time measurement, as it happens. And with it, the ability to measure positive interaction over time and analyze long-term impact.

With HPDS, we can give a peace score to individuals, teams, departments, organizations, and industries, for the impact they’re making. And by creating an auditable standard for peace, we now also have the ability to issue “peace credits”. We envision peace credits working similar to carbon credits, allowing individuals, companies and communities to quantify their impact.

Using HPDS to address Capital Dilemmas 

Investors looking to invest in companies that have a positive Environmental, Social, or Governance impact (that are “ESG compliant”), and companies who want cheaper funding at better rates in return for their positive social impact can both benefit from an established peace standard.

Forbes Magazine reported “The term ESG was first coined in 2005 in a landmark study entitled “Who Cares Wins.” In 2018, ESG investments were already estimated at over $20 trillion in assets under management. That was roughly a quarter of all professionally managed assets around the world. 

That rapid growth of ESG investments builds on the Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) movement that has been around much longer. However, while SRI is based on ethical and moral criteria that uses punishment and mostly negative screens, like divesting from alcohol, tobacco or firearms, ESG investing is based on the assumption that ESG factors have financial relevance. 

Peace Data takes this a step further, by identifying and rewarding mutually beneficial, value-creating behaviors that lead directly to fair wealth creation and distribution— the process at the heart of all sustainable and responsible investment.

How HPDS helps ESG investors and investment-seekers alike

The ESG and responsible investment sectors are growing, with one niche market growing  from zero to $122 billion in just the last three years—and that’s only 0.25% of the whole established market. 

But the challenge with ESG investments is defining, discovering and investing in companies that fulfill the Social aspect of ESG—primarily because there hasn’t been a standardized way to measure social impact. Until now. 

The Hague Peace Data Standard provides a common reference for companies to identify, monitor, interpret and report the positive peace they create in the world. And, it also gives investors a common reference to evaluate and make strategic investments that reward those organizations. 

Is your company getting recognized for its impact?

If you’re using technology, there’s a good chance it isn’t. We’ve found a way to identify, track and interpret data you’re already collecting to highlight impact. And that’s the beauty of HPDS. With better reporting alone, you’re able to better represent your impact so you get closer to meeting your sustainable development goals, or invite interest from ESG investors. 

That’s where Peace Data just begins. The goal is to take it beyond sustainable and responsible investment, and into the whole new domains of Peace Engineering and Peace Finance, catalyzing a new Peace industry.

If you’re interested in learning more about how Peace Data can impact the way you run your business, get on our email list here.

If you’re interested in partnering with the Peace Innovation Institute on the HPDS workshop series or other HPDS-related ventures, please email us at peacedata@peaceinnovation.com