Improving your corporate sustainability and setting goals can be difficult if you’re starting with a blank page.

Using a framework or template is a great way to structure your sustainability plan and identify meaningful targets for your business.

How can you use the Sustainable Development Goals to put sustainability at the forefront of your business strategy?

What Are The Sustainable Development Goals?

In 2001, governments around the world agreed on a set of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were designed to act as a framework for the development of national policies and overseas aid programs to end poverty and improve the lives of the planet’s poorest people.

The MDGs expired in 2015 and were replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – also known as Global Goals – drawn up by the United Nations (UN) to define the global priorities for action by 2030.

The number of goals has been expanded to 17, and every UN member state – developed and developing – is expected to contribute towards achieving them.

The goals include a wide range of global issues including poverty, health and wellbeing, education, equality, peace and justice, clean energy, economic growth, sustainability, and climate action.

This breadth of ambition recognizes that all human and economic action is interconnected. Poverty and deprivation can only be ended alongside improving health and education, reducing inequality, and boosting economic growth – while also tackling climate change and protecting the natural environment.

What Do The SDG Goals and Targets Mean for Businesses?

Although initially agreed by governments worldwide, the SDGs explicitly include businesses in their call to action. Innovation within the business sector and collaboration with government agencies and NGOs is vital to achieving the goals.

Corporate sustainability leaders have the opportunity to demonstrate how their business is aligned with the SDGs, by minimizing negative impacts and maximizing positive impacts on people and the planet.

Companies can adopt the SDG themes as a framework to shape their strategies, communicate their goals and report their activities.

To align your company’s strategies with the SDGs, you should first assess your current and forecast impact, both positive and negative, across each of the 17 goals. This will allow you to define your priorities for action.

Set goals and integrate sustainable development targets throughout your company and value chain, based on your priority areas.

By aligning your goals with the SDGs, you can communicate clearly to stakeholders your commitment to ending poverty and delivering decent livelihoods and opportunities for all, within the limits of the planet’s natural resources.

How Can NativeEnergy Help Business Contribute to The SDGs?

Offsetting projects can make the most obvious contribution towards SDG 13 – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. NativeEnergy’s offset projects are verified and guaranteed to reduce or avoid carbon emissions, which helps to limit the global temperature rise due to manmade climate change.

Progressive offsets such as NativeEnergy’s Help Build^TM projects also benefit communities and the environment and can contribute towards achieving many of the other SDGs too.

For example, renewable energy offset projects can provide access to affordable, clean energy (SDG 7) and deliver decent work and economic growth (SDG 8).

As well as cutting carbon emissions, a clean water offset project can ensure the availability of clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), improve health and wellbeing (SDG 3) and increase access to high-quality education opportunities (SDG 4).

And a cookstove offset project cuts emissions while also promoting good health and wellbeing (SDG3), improving gender equality and empowering women and girls (SDG 5).

To find out more about progressive offset projects that deliver sustainable development benefits to people and the planet, as well as shrinking your carbon footprint, contact us today at [email protected].