What are the SDGs (and why should business align to them?)
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals or the People’s Goals, were adopted by the United Nations as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
Wow. No pressure!
The 17 goals are at the heart of a broader plan called The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (otherwise known as Agenda 2030). Agenda 2030 is effectively our blueprint to saving the planet and its people. There are 17 SDGs and other than them being bright and beautiful colours they recognise that sustainable development must balance social, economic and environmental contexts. Therefore they cover global environmental issues from Climate Change (SDG 13) and Life of Land (SDG 15) as well as social issues such as Zero Poverty (SDG 1) and Reducing Inequalities (SDG 10). Each of these goals are reliant on each other and the UN recognises that action in one area will affect other areas as well.
Each of the SDG’s has a series of targets and indicators. The targets are the specific actions we are trying to achieve and the indicators measure our progress towards achieving them. You can play around with the goals, targets and indicators on the UN SDG website.
NZ, along with all other 192 UN Member States, signed up to Agenda 2030 in September 2015, agreeing that we would deliver on the goals by 2030.
Just as an FYI, this means we only have eight years left to achieve all 17 goals!
8 years is not a very long time! Which is why it is vital that we collectively act towards achieving them as individuals, governments and businesses.
But aren’t the SDG’s for the Government? What’s really the role of my business?
A great question my friend. Here are my top 5 reasons for aligning your business to Agenda 2030 and the SDG’s:
The SDGs are a universal framework for action. It is a global language that we can all understand and get behind. It means that we are sharing in the same plan and approach to improving the planet.
There’s an SDG for everyone. Each of us in some way can find a way to connect and link to the global framework - personally connecting to the goal or problem is essential for getting staff on board with the SDG’s and sustainable action.
Unfortunately NZ isn’t tracking so well in our SDG performance. In some areas we are flatlining and in others we are in fact declining. This means we need all of us to participate and get on board.
Aligning to the SDG’s can be an enormous business opportunity as more and more consumers are asking for sustainable products. A recent report “In Good Company” suggested that as high as at least 47 percent of New Zealanders (across 8 industries) say they care about sustainability when choosing a brand/product to purchase.
At the end of the day we aren’t going to get there without the private sector - quoting Laura Palmeiro, Sustainability Integration Director at Danone ”The private sector plays an enormous role in the social and economic landscape. It would be impossible and unrealistic to reach the SDGs without them.”
So, fellow business owners, what’s going to be your contribution to achieving the SDG’s by 2030?
At Third Era Sustainability Consulting we help businesses like yours to align to the SDG’s and take meaningful action to achieving them. If you are interested in taking the next steps in sustainability, get in touch today.
