Integrating the SDGs in Company Sustainability Strategies

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent the world’s comprehensive post-2015 agenda for equitable, socially inclusive, and environmentally sustainable economic development. Meeting the SDGs by 2030 will require unprecedented cooperation and collaboration among governments, non-governmental organizations, development partners, the private sector and communities. Unlike the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the SDG framework calls upon the private sector to incorporate the goals into its practices and operations. CCSI is working with a leading energy company to align its sustainability strategy to the SDGs.

CCSI is working with a leading energy company to align its sustainability strategy to the SDGs. Apart from mapping out existing actions and programs that address the SDGs, the project also reviews the company incentive structures, the key performance indicators (KPIs) and the compliance guidelines that need to be adhered to. The mapping exercise distinguishes among actions that are core to the operations of the business and those that relate to corporate social responsibility investments. A gap assessment will help identify areas where the company can further align its actions, incentive structures and measuring matrixes to align with the SDGs and related indicators.

During the first phase of the project, this assessment is done at the corporate level. The second phase foresees piloting this exercise at the local level in a place where the company has operations. For this phase of the project, the priorities of the national and local government will be included in the assessment of how the company can contribute to sustainable development in that particular region.