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The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a framework for integrating sustainability into your business.
Here we will dig a little deeper into what the SDGs are, why they are important and how you can successfully use them to maximise the benefits of more sustainable business.
Created following the end of the Millennium Development Goals in 2015, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were created to define global sustainable development priorities and aspirations for2030.
The SDGs call for worldwide action by governments, business and civil society to achieve 17 interconnected goals.
A Business & Sustainable Development Commission report showed how achieving the SDGs could unlock more than US $12 trillion in new market opportunities and create 380 million jobs by 2030, many of these in small and medium enterprises.
Aligning with the SDGs not only demonstrates an awareness of a greater global sustainability agenda and how your business contributes to international efforts to tackle these topics, but they can also provide legitimacy to your brand’s sustainability efforts.
SDGs provide the most benefits for business when used for more than communications, but rather where the detailed SDG targets are used to form and deliver business strategy, objectives and activity.
Developing your strategy and processes to specific targets within the SDGs will take your business from paying lip-service to the SDGs to playing a meaningful part in delivering them.
92% of CEOs believe integration of sustainability is critical to business success, but less than 21% believe business is currently playing a critical role in achieving the SDGs. Source: United Nations Global Compact
If you want to integrate the SDGs into your business in away that both benefits your business and the planet, the first step is to familiarise yourself with the SDGs.
There are 17 goals, but digging into an individual goal can provide a greater appreciation of what they are setting out to achieve.
Each goal is split into specific targets and indicators to measure success and it is at this level that identifying the value for businesses to align with the objectives of the SDG comes into its own.
Identifying which targets are most relevant to your business is the most valuable first step you can take to aligning with the SDGs.
Some targets are more generally applicable to a wide range of businesses, while others are more specific. You may want to rank each of the targets on how effectively your business can help achieve the SDG target and use this to inform your next steps.
Once you have fully reviewed the targets and indicators and determined how relevant these are to your business, it is time to incorporate these into your governance, sustainability strategy, key performance indicators and sustainability communications.
One example of an organisation that implements the SDGs into their business well is Suzano.
The pulp and paper sector is one of the largest industrial sectors in the world with a significant impact on global forests. According to the WWF, approximately 405 million tonnes of paper and paperboard are produced annually, totalling 13-15% of total wood consumption, with demand for paper products expected to double by 2050.
Suzano is a Brazilian-based manufacturer of paper and pulp products made from eucalyptus, including toilet paper, tissue, printer paper, and sanitary products.
Their Innovative Restoration Program addresses SDG 15 Life on Land directly by restoring degraded habitats and promote conservation across key Brazilian ecosystems, including the Amazon, Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. This objective is fully integrated into their business strategy and targets with their ‘Commitment to Renewing Life’ that establishes 15 targets aligned with the SDGs.
This is supported by monitoring and public reporting of performance against these targets. For example, to promote the conservation and improvement of biodiversity in forestry operations, Suzano has a Biodiversity monitoring Plan covering plants, mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, with species found publicly published annually.
By 2021 they had registered more than 4,000 species, of which 400 are considered threatened and 350 are endemic.
For more information about the SDGs, and the targets and indicators used to evaluate progress against them, visit https://sdgs.un.org/goals.
At Good Business Sustainability we pride ourselves on helping to make being green easier. We provide a broad range of sustainability consultancy services tailored to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and start-ups. GB Sustainability provides consultations, projects, and retainers across a range of sustainability topics and business sectors.
If you would like support to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals into your business, why not set up a free initial exploratory call with one of our sustainability professionals today.
GB Sustainability has no affiliation with Suzano. The case study presented here is for illustrative purposes only.
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