What are the UN Global Goals?

The United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a shared framework for achieving a better future for people and the planet by 2030, across global challenges such as poverty, climate change, and inequality whilst leaving no-one behind. 

SDGs serve as a universal blueprint for businesses to communicate performance, set and achieve targets, engage with various stakeholders, including investors and gain access to new market opportunities. 

Why do they matter?

These goals are more than just platitudes. Set up in 2015 and made actionable in 2017 by the addition of specific targets for each goal, along with performance indicators that are being used to measure progress toward each target, SDG’s are becoming more tangible and ubiquitous with each passing day. 

According to KPMG, By 2030, demand for ESG policies will lead to mandatory ratings and certifications. As these laws, regulations, and standards are being established globally, businesses need to be prepared to provide transparent and accurate reporting to substantiate the claims they make about their environmental impact. 

The competitive advantage lies in early adoption. 

The key to financing and achieving the SDGs lies in mobilising a greater share of the $200+ trillion in annual private capital investment flows toward development efforts.

9 in 10 investors already include or are considering sustainable assets in their portfolio. And 36 percent of all professionally managed assets are sustainable – the last two years alone have seen growth of 15%. 

Consumer habits, particularly in Australia, have seen a significant shift towards the prioritisation of sustainability goals. Half of all Australian consumers are already actively looking for greener products or services. 

Project Drawdown recently estimated that 30% of all emissions reductions needed to avoid catastrophic climate change are achieved at the individual or household level. Informed, ethical consumption is going to be at the centre of all actionable solutions and those without a clear plan already in place will quickly fall behind.   

SDGs and us

SustainabilityTracker.com is committed to developing a ‘Green Taxonomy’ in alignment with the UN and ACCC, which will allow businesses to communicate clearly what their commitment to sustainability actually looks like. We see the benefits of promoting business development in a singular, consistent language as threefold:

1. Equitable transparency eliminates the risk of Greenwashing.

2. Transformative solutions are centralised, developed and tracked collaboratively.

3. Consumer trust is bolstered, accelerating sustainable growth.  

We’re excited to share that we’ve already started! Available now within all sustainability profiles, is a new module that allows brands to select the SDGs that their actions and commitments are aligned with.

We want to harness radical transparency to effect mass market change, and are calling on all brands and businesses to publicly share their SDG alignment and progress on SustainabilityTracker.com, and use us as a platform to foster collaboration and solve the world’s most challenging tasks in sustainability. 

The world of sustainability is always changing. The information we’ve provided is based on what was current when we published it. So, please make sure to check the latest standards and guidelines.