April 3, 2013 FIFTH QUADRANT Sustainable Value Creation ANALYTICS Through Disability The Global Economics of Disability The Return on Disability® Company Annual Report An Emerging Market the Size of China People with disabilities (PWD) are a large global market. With an estimated Rich Donovan (718) 395-7877 population of 1.3 billion PWD are an emerging market the size of China.
[email protected] Their Friends and Family add another 2.2 billion potential consumers that act on their emotional connection to PWD. Together, they control over $8 trillion in annual disposable income globally. Companies seeking new ways to create value for stakeholders have a strong interest in attracting the spending of this increasingly powerful cohort. Sustainability from Demographic Shifts Since 1972, G10 economies have implemented laws that have created a legal platform for PWD to become equal members of society and full participants in the economy. The most successful of these laws are in education. The initial beneficiaries of these laws are now entering the workforce, where they command an estimated $1.7 trillion in income globally. The demographics of an aging population of so-called `Baby Boomers’ are adding to the number of PWD. As Boomers’ physical realities change, their need and desire to remain active in society dovetails with the demands of PWD. They also control a larger share of the national wealth than any previous generation. The result is three generations of skilled consumers who have similar needs, emerging identities and significant spending power. Companies and investors seeking to make additional returns in a market rewarding innovation are now including disability in their strategies and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) mandates.