Business in the Community and the Global Goals

TOGETHER WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

Business in the Community is working with business to accelerate the pace and scale of action to deliver against the United Nations (UN) Global Goals, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We inspire, engage and challenge businesses to be purpose-driven, taking practical action and mobilising their collective strength to deliver against the Global Goals. Rather than philanthropy, we are focused on how companies can bring about structural and lasting social, environmental and economic changes through running their businesses responsibly.

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In 2015 the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals) were adopted by the 193 Member States of the United Nations in a bid to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all by 2030. While business engagement with the Global Goals is imperative for the wider world, it also opens business market opportunities, whilst finding shared value for communities and environments.

Key facts

The Global Goals are a comprehensive plan of action to build a global partnership for sustainable development to improve human lives and protect the environment.¹
The goals are designed to be interrelated, measurable, action-oriented, and achieved by the year 203O.²
The Goals universally apply to all, and all countries are mobilising efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change while ensuring that no one is left behind. ³

Our objectives

To profile and amplify the activity of our members

Business in the Community is working with business to accelerate the pace and scale of action to deliver against the Global Goals. We focus on how companies can bring about structural and lasting social, environmental and economic changes through running their businesses responsibly.

To engage and convene future leaders

Through the engagement and convening of future leaders, we aim to demystify the Global Goals, embedding purpose and international disaster resilience as an action to meet the goals.

To drive the conversation

Coinciding with the 2019 UN General Assembly we published Own the Conversation. Drive the Change, a conversation toolkit packed with the resources needed to drive change within a business through high-impact conversations on the Global Goals.

Global Goals and the digital responsible business agenda

Our Brave New World report showed that digital technologies present us with the opportunities to considerably accelerate our journey towards achieving the Global Goals. Such technologies can improve disease diagnostics through image recognition, help 450 million people better access education and through AI-powered agriculture, lead to 20% reduced food waste by 2030.

However, unless we innovate with these Goals in mind, there is a risk that digital technologies will harm our progress towards them. From the considerable greenhouse gas emissions of AI and emerging technologies to AI furthering inequality by relying on biased historical data, digital technologies present companies with a cross-roads of impact. Business in the Community’s Responsible Digital Business programme seeks to work with organisations to ensure that this digital transformation is ethical, sustainable and inclusive and that their innovations are developed responsibly in line with the Global Goals.