Implementing Sustainable Development Goals Into Your Business

In 2015 the United Nations announced the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future”. Behind each goal is a detailed analysis and series of targets. 

Have you ever felt that you want to do better for your community and the planet? Have you felt you want to help in some way, small as it may be, but perhaps haven’t known where to start?

I have found that as business owners, we can each do our part to work towards those goals. As individuals we identify closely to a few goals that resonate specifically with each of us.

I spent my teenage years in Canada, living on the outskirts of town just a few minutes bike ride from the wheat fields. We would get the first snowfall in the last two weeks of October, then more and more snow. Snowdrifts created by the winds and snow piled up meters high along the city streets where the snow plows had been.

The snow lasted through to April/May, 6 or 7 months of winter. Crisp cold days with blue sky and snow sparkling on the ground. As a teenager, it was heaven. But admittedly when it started to warm up and the snow started to melt, I was anxious for the weather to be warm enough to get my bike out and ride out to the fields again. 

Now, though, a white Christmas is almost unheard of. If any snow falls between October and January, it is likely to last just a few days before it has melted. If you want snow, go in February. 

Less snow, means less melted snow, which means less water to soak into the prairie soil. The impact on the ecosystem is significant with less water replaced into the water table every year. 

For me SDG#13 is my first priority. As a lifelong learner, SDG#4 is another priority for me, too.

But as Dr Ibrahim Kshanh shows in his infographic below, we have the opportunity to do a little bit for each goal in our businesses.

With so many pressures on the planet, every one of these 17 goals are key to provide for the next generations to come and give them the best opportunity for the longterm.

With climate action and quality education close to my heart, check out the Carbon Readiness Assessment Quiz to see how your business rates.

We are proud to advise that this article was written by the team and not produced by AI.