Surveys and research, both within the UN Global Compact and externally, have shown that smaller and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face greater barriers than large companies in meeting sustainability standards, let alone taking actions to pursue and promote sustainability. SMEs often provide important services and products in the supply chain of larger companies and account for more than 50% of employment worldwide, and creating opportunities for SMEs is a key way to advance development and reduce poverty. This webinar explored various methods of how companies, Global Compact Local Networks and other stakeholders can support SMEs’ commitment to sustainability.

The Responsible Sourcing Tool is a free, open source web platform created to help companies, federal procurement and contracting professionals, advocates, investors, and consumers visualize and understand the risks of human trafficking in supply chains. The site offers a comprehensive assessment of country- and industry-based risks, guidance on understanding different types of risks, and a suite of tools to address those risks, including tools for building strong policies, screening and evaluating labor suppliers, and compliance management. The site also includes case studies, useful external resources, and guidance on engaging responsibly and ethically with survivors.

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. It also lists illustrative actions that businesses can take to make progress towards the SDG targets. Translations of this publication are available in several languages.

The CEO Water Mandate is a strategic framework for action with recommendations that include production strategies, water-utilization audits and incentive systems for water recycling, the development of a water-sustainability agenda, and inclusion of the GRI guidelines in corporate reporting.

Outlines a three-step process to embed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into existing business and reporting processes. It helps business to better report their impact on the SDGs and address the information needs of relevant stakeholders. This Guide follows an approach that is aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the GRI Standards. Translations of this publication are available in several languages.

This report helps companies navigate the business and social implications of automation and outlines how companies can prepare the workforce for the inevitable changes to come.

The SBTi defines and promotes best practice in science-based target setting and offers resources and guidance to reduce barriers to adoption. The initiative is backed by four of the more prestigious environmental organizations, including CDP, UNGC, WRI and WWF. Through the initiative, these organizations conduct a comprehensive quality assessment of the targets and provide multiple opportunities of showcasing for approved targets. The call for action guidelines give information on the four step process for joining the initiative.

revised in 2018, this self-guided 40 minute E-learning module provides an introduction to the ILO’s Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration). The Declaration provides recommendations to governments, enterprises, and employers’ and workers’ organizations on how to maximize – each with different roles and responsibilities - the positive contribution of multinational enterprises to socioeconomic development and decent work, more specifically in the areas of employment, training, conditions of work and life and industrial relations. The module includes an overview of the principles of the MNE Declaration and real cases of how it can be put into practice and address a range of labour and employment issues in different contexts. It also provides a description of how the MNE Declaration relates to other international instruments which can also guide business behaviour, such as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the UN Global Compact, the UN Business and Human Rights Framework and Guiding Principles, and ISO 26000.

Provides an overview of the minimum requirements of the Communication on Progress. The guide includes practical suggestions and examples grounded in best practices from participating companies.

A stocktaking and assessment of existing and emerging water accounting methods and tools being used in the private sector.

This report draws on corporate emissions and target data submitted to the SBTi and CDP — as well as extensive interviews with businesses and other stakeholders — to explore the progress the SBTi has made in driving the adoption of SBTs by businesses and the impact this has on decarbonising the economy.

The Business Leadership Criteria on Carbon Pricing is designed to inspire companies to reach the next level of climate performance and to advocate for a price on carbon as a necessary and effective measure to tackle the climate change challenge. The criteria comprise three overlapping dimensions: first, setting an internal carbon price; second, responsible policy advocacy; and third, communicating on progress.