The successful implementation of the UN goals for sustainable development (SDG) will strengthen the environment for business activities and the development of new and existing markets. Even the most responsible companies struggle to thrive in communities marked by instability and conflict. Or to find skilled workers where there is a lack of adequate training. Or to survive natural disasters caused by climate change. The UN and other organizations are not naive. They all know that profit will continue to be the main motive for business.
Some companies are already seizing this opportunity today
The number of companies that are already working to achieve the goals of the SDGs is growing. For example, Schneider Electric is committed to gender equality by eliminating the gender pay gap for its 150,000 employees by 2017. To this end, the company has developed innovative processes and practices.
Unilever is committed to ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns and to reducing its environmental footprint through its sustainable living objective. The plan includes details of changes in production patterns (from raw material sourcing to the transportation of goods) and sustainable consumption. This leads to better products, more satisfied customers and proud employees.
Some companies even strive to promote peaceful and inclusive societies. This year, Coca-Cola launched the Small World Machine in Pakistan and India to provide a live communication portal for people divided by conflict, in the hope of promoting cultural understanding.
You too can take advantage of the opportunities!
A sustainable strategy consists of defining a suitable goal for your company and aligning your activities towards this goal. For this approach to be successful, you must choose a goal that makes sense for your company. One that is aligned with your brand and core values, is important to your stakeholders and reflects the impact of your products and services. For example, a beverage company might want to focus on SDG 6 – Clean Water & Sanitation and support a program to provide clean drinking water to communities around the world, while a food retailer might want to focus on SDG 2 – Zero Hunger in terms of food safety, nutrition and sustainable agriculture.
If you can make a measurable difference in your chosen area, it will increase your brand awareness and give you a competitive advantage and positive recognition. This recognition leads to more qualified and loyal employees and higher customer loyalty, indeed, more customers.
Cooperations increase sustainability
An often overlooked but important role of global goals is to promote cooperation and joint investments. All companies need an environmental and social infrastructure for their operations and growth. The Global Objectives provide a common language that companies can use to connect with each other by investing in partnership programs to provide the common infrastructure that each party needs – for example, clean air, reliable energy, efficient transportation, education and health.
The results not only improve the lives of some of the world’s poorest and hardest to reach communities – they can help your business grow, build new markets and strengthen shared supply chains – creating real business value for all parties.
What can we do for you?
We believe that achieving global goals requires a market-oriented approach. We support you in defining the goals and in their implementation. In doing so, we draw on our international and Rotary network and ensure that your activities are of high quality, affordable and accessible to everyone. We want to develop new integrative markets with you that are self-sustaining in the long term, measure results and use these results to inform and drive future investment decisions. And last but not least, we want to talk about you. We look forward to being at your side and to creating good things with you.