Anthesis’ short guide outlines how businesses can identify which Sustainable Development Goals are most relevant to them and how to set targets against these to drive measurable impacts.
What are the Sustainable Development Goals?
The Sustainable Development Goals were initiated at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012, with the intent of creating a set of universal goals that met the world’s urgent environmental, political and economic challenges.
The goals play a critical role in focusing business, civil society and governments on a set of common aims to address key global challenges. Connecting your business objectives to the goals may seem overwhelming at first glance, but it is important to remember the 17 goals are high level in nature to ensure they are broadly applicable.
Similarly, while it is not expected that companies can align their goals with all 17 goals, they are expected to identify which goals are most relevant to their business and where they have an opportunity to contribute to the goals through the full value chain of their business.
It is therefore important to approach the Sustainable Development Goals in an attentive and streamlined manner to ensure you focus on areas where your actions have real and tangible impacts.
Best Practice for the Sustainable Development Goals
We have developed this short guide on the steps your business can follow to identify which goals are most relevant to your business, and how you can set targets against these to drive measurable impact.
- Step 1: SDG value chain mapping
- Step 2: Alignment with SDG targets
- Step 3: Gap assessment
- Step 4: Goal setting and communication
For further details on each step download our sustainable development goals PDF to help your business align, engage and implement the most relevant Sustainable Development Goals to you.
