The United Nations Global Compact-Accenture Global Private Sector SDG Stocktake offers an appraisal of private sector contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the first half (2015-2022), and a clear path forward for the second half (2023-2030). Based on a combination of innovative data sources, including insights from more than 2,800 business leaders around the world, this report measures the global private sector's impact on the SDGs for the first time.

This new report from the CFO Coalition for the SDGs highlights the importance of corporate investments and financing for climate action. As the main direct investors in climate change mitigation, companies are expected to contribute a substantial portion of the capital investment needed between now and 2050 to meet the goals of the Paris Accords, which some estimate could amount to USD 275 trillion. This includes investments in the infrastructure and technology that will underpin low-carbon growth in many sectors of the economy, including power, industrials, agriculture, buildings and mobility. The report is part of resources developed by the CFO Coalition to respond to increasingly louder calls for greater private sector investment towards Climate Action. It provides guidance and insights for companies in diverse industry sectors to build a bridge between climate ambitions and corporate investment and finance, two of the five areas of the UN Global Compact Forward Faster Campaign. This report is a product of the CFO Coalition for the SDGs and the result of extensive collaboration with members of the Coalition’s Advanced Group, including CFOs and their teams.

In 2015, the UK Government joined every other country worldwide and committed to Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and through it the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Goals provide a holistic framework that defines our global priorities and aspirations for 2030. They represent a crucial opportunity to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and protect our planet. Achieving the Goals requires an unprecedented effort across all aspects of society – and business sits at the heart of it. The SDGs are not just another sustainability framework, but the only universally agreed blueprint to turn meaningful ambition into transformational change. Yet, with just seven years to go and already halfway through the 2030 Agenda, we are far from achieving the Goals in the UK. There is a multifaceted business case for smaller companies to embrace sustainability. Stakeholders – from regulators to investors to customers to employees – expect all companies to be improving their sustainability performance and they are ready to reward companies that embrace this agenda and punish those that do not. However, SMEs consistently report difficulties with embedding the SDGs at the core of their business models. The UN Global Compact Network UK, in partnership with Irwin Mitchell, has developed the SDG Playbook for SMEs: a step-by-step guide to help smaller companies unlock the competitive advantages associated with embracing the SDGs.    

This report is a first step towards a uniform mechanism for business to report on their contribution to and impact on the SDGs in an effective and comparable way. It contains a list of existing and established disclosures that businesses can use to report, and identifies relevant gaps, where disclosures are not available.This Analysis is primarily intended to be used in combination with the document “Integrating the SDGs into corporate reporting: A practical guide.

A just transition to a net zero future is an important undertaking, requiring bold actions from all parties — and effort from corporates is definitely an important one. The UN Global Compact helps businesses to align with its Ten Principles and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has published this whitepaper to plot a roadmap for corporates to reach net zero, facilitating the private sector to play its role in the pathway.

This Annual Report is intended to provide our stakeholders and the public with an overview of the progress of the UN Global Compact across key strategic and operational focus areas as well as to highlight key activities undertaken and resources created to promote business action on UN issues and priorities. The inclusion of company examples in this report is intended strictly for learning purposes and does not constitute an endorsement of the individual companies.

A new strategy that spells out our ambition to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the SDGs through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change.

This is the first white paper produced by the recently launched UN Global Compact Action Platform on Sustainable Infrastructure for the Belt and Road Initiative to Accelerate the SDGs. It provides a starting point for strategic discussion and dialogue, and a solid foundation for action in the years ahead. I look forward to working with companies, Governments and all stakeholders to build a healthier and more sustainable future. If we succeed, generations to come will remember our current difficulties as a distant crisis that was, nevertheless, a turning point for global progress.

Description: Part of the UN Global Compact SDG Ambition Accelerator Initiative, the Living Wage Ambition is one of ten SDG Ambition Benchmarks aiming at challenging organizations to set more ambitious targets and accelerating integration of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into core business management. This ambition is encouraging companies to provide and promote a living wage as an essential aspect of decent work to ensure all workers, families and communities can live in dignity. The guide “Achieving the Living Wage Ambition: Reference Sheet and Implementation Guidance” provides illustrative details regarding the steps to take to successfully implement a living wage programme in a company’s business system which will lead to all employees being provided with wages and benefits that are sufficient to cover at least their basic needs. For more information on the SDG Ambition Accelerator Initiative please visit here.

Since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, more and more companies are disclosing how they are impacting them and contributing to their achievement. The examples featured below help businesses and interested stakeholders identify select current corporate SDG reporting practices. The examples focus on one or a few elements of the broader corporate reporting process and steps outlined in the ‘Practical Guide Integrating the SDGs into Corporate Reporting.’ Please consult the Practical Guide for best practices on SDG reporting.

This publication presents the approach through which the ten SDG Ambition benchmarks can be integrated into core business processes and systems to enable effective measurement & management of sustainability performance. Business leaders can use this publication to identify the system opportunities to integrate the SDGs into core business processes.

This publication is an introduction to SDG Ambition — an new initiative of the UN Global Compact. By raising ambition, deepening integration, and embracing new technologies we believe business can become a leading actor in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With the launch of SDG Ambition, the UN Global Compact is proud to share its new SDG Implementation Framework, which aims to guide companies to deepen integration of the SDGs and Ten Principles into business strategy, operations, and stakeholder engagement.