Are you a small business owner and want to make your business more sustainable?
Learn how to use the sustainable development goals as a starting point for developing a sustainability strategy.
What are the sustainable development goals?
In 2015 the United Nations released a shared worldwide blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action.
They address global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. The goals recognize that everything is connected; for example, ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth while tackling climate change and preserving our oceans and forests.
You can find a thorough description of each goal here: https://sdgs.un.org/goals#goals
The SDGs are a valuable tool to use when transforming your business to make a positive impact.
The SDG strategy wheel helps you identify the most related SDGs to your business and enable you to take fast and easy action.
The SDG strategy wheel shows all 17 sustainable development goals arranged on an axis in a circle. At the center of the circle is the business. The axes are each divided into ten parts. To use the wheel, think about the different goals and how much they are affected by your business.
For example, is your supply chain transparent, and every supplier respects labor rights? Does your packaging harm the environment, or maybe you are a circular economy pioneer?
Rate your business’s impact on the goals on a scale from one to ten and mark your findings on the wheel. Near the center is the lowest impact (1), and the outer circle is the highest impact (10).
After you have assessed all goals, pick the three goals with the highest rating. These are the starting points to brainstorm possible improvements and develop your sustainability strategy in your business.
Do you want to give it a try?
You can download the SDG strategy wheel here:
