CEO Guide to SDGs

WBCSD share with you the CEO Guide to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Adopted by 193 countries in September 2015, the SDGs set out a framework of 17 Goals to tackle the world’s most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges in the lead-up to 2030.

The guide is designed to provide you with a concise yet comprehensive introduction to the SDGs, and their relevance for the private sector – because this agenda can’t be achieved without business.

With 169 targets sitting behind the 17 Goals, it can be difficult to know where to start. Yet a recent survey shows that:

• 70% of CEOs see the SDGs as providing a clear framework to structure sustainability efforts
• 87% of CEOs believe the SDGs provide an opportunity to rethink approaches to sustainable value creation
• 49% believe that business will be the single most important actor in delivering the SDGs.

The SDGs provide us with a new lens through which to translate global needs and ambitions into business solutions.

How the CEO Guide to the SDGs can help you

The CEO Guide is a new flagship WBCSD resource that sets out the clear actions you can take to begin aligning with the SDGs, and plot a course towards unlocking the value they represent.

The guide draws on the landmark research of the Business & Sustainable Development Commission (BSDC) which has found that achieving the SDGs could be worth at least US$12 trillion a year in market value by 2030 and create 380 million jobs in the process.

Highlighting the critical role for business in realizing the SDGs, the guide also explores the business implications of the SDGs across four pillars:

• Risks of inaction
• Capturing opportunities
• Governance & transparency, and
• The need for collaboration.

Acting on the SDGs is critical

At this time of political and economic uncertainty, strong and visionary CEO leadership is essential to achieving the transformation that is needed to usher in the inclusive and sustainable economic growth that the SDGs represent.

Through this CEO Guide, we seek to amplify the key messages of the BSDC, and help you turn them into action in your company. We outline how you can engage your organization, and recommend key steps for you to take to begin aligning with this critical societal agenda.

I encourage you to explore the CEO Guide – you can download the interactive digital version and watch the video from our central SDG Business Hub.