How seven companies help tackle the UN Sustainable Development Goals
These companies are doing their part. What are you doing?
This year marks the start of the Decade of Action to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. In combatting climate change, injustice, and inequality, the SDGs are a shared responsibility of both governments and businesses.
For many companies, aligning with the SDGs is an opportunity to make a positive impact as an organization and to attract commitments from increasingly climate-conscious investors.
Leading corporations are stepping up to the plate by making essential changes to battle the current climate emergency and pressing social issues. Many create or partner with impactful programs, to support sustainability and establish goal tracking, managing, and monitoring progress among various solutions.
To better illustrate how various companies align themselves with the UN SDGs, we've highlighted seven companies that help meet the fast-approaching 2030 deadline.
1. Huawei
Over the past three years, Chinese company Huawei has actively pushed digital technology advances to reduce digital inequality. By focusing on their own industry, the mobile tech giant has aligned itself in particular to SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.
One of their initiatives, TECH4ALL, supports disenfranchised populations by increasing the digital inclusion of persons with disabilities and refugees. As a result, Huawei is setting the standard for tech companies all over the world.
2. Nike
Even the most influential and powerful companies have to take a stance. International sportswear old-timer Nike acknowledges this. Their mission is to Move to Zero, meaning moving toward zero carbon and zero waste, to help protect the future of sports. By increasing the percentage of recycled materials in their products, Nike aligns itself directly to SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production.
Since international government policies are already gearing towards transforming the fashion industry as we know it, such as the European Green Deal, a smart move. Currently, fast fashion is recognized as one of the most polluting industries on this planet.
3. Kimberly-Clark
Another worldwide brand that has made it its mission to make a difference in people's lives. Mostly known for its paper hygiene products, Kimberly-Clark has seen early on that besides making money, ethical and sustainable business is even more critical. Together with other industry-leading companies, they form The Toilet Board Coalition, supporting SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation.
This commitment provides the necessary leadership, mentorship, and investments needed to accelerate the pace of change to achieve universal access to sanitation before 2030.
4. LEGO
LEGO believes in play and advocates' transformative power to have this adopted in education and early childhood development worldwide. To do this, they provide their famous bricks and promote play in the classroom and other education partnerships and projects worldwide, which in turn supports SDG 4: Ensuring quality education and lifelong learning for all.
Inspiring and engaging children in sustainability is a big part of this mission. For example, in 2018, the toy company held a series of sustainability-focused events worldwide. It launched a LEGO wind turbine model containing an instruction booklet with interesting facts about climate change and wind energy.
5. JetBlue
Whether you like it or not, flying is a thing of the present and future. At the same time, air travel and shipping is one of the biggest carbon dioxide emitting industries. Therefore, airlines need to think long and hard about the impact associated with CO2 in the current climate crisis. JetBlue, one of the first airlines to do so, has taken a step towards carbon neutrality by offsetting its emissions.
By aligning themselves to SDG 13: Climate action, they inspire their customers and peers to do the same while working on solutions towards renewable jet fuel options.
“As an airline, we admit that we emit. Communally, the travelling public’s and airline’s first line of defence is flying efficiently and avoiding unnecessary emissions.” — Sophia Mendelsohn, Head of Sustainability, JetBlue.
6. Discovery Channel
Some companies use their own research and development resources and acknowledge that the power of change is further supported by establishing meaningful partnerships. For example, Discovery Channel teams up with charity organization Oceana for the past few years to protect sharks from the cruel fin trade that affects up to 73 million sharks per year. Their efforts aim to tackle SDG14: Life Below Water.
7. Hilton Hotels
Aligning themselves to (among others)to SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, Hilton recognizes that their hotels can make a huge negative or positive impact on the environment they operate in. They chose the latter. Launching Travel with Purpose, its corporate responsibility strategy aims to redefine and advance sustainable travel globally.
A considerable part of this mission is tracking, analysing, and reporting the environmental and social impact at each of Hilton's 5,600+(!) hotels and its suppliers through LightStay, their corporate responsibility measurement system.
Be aware of corporate greenwashing
As you can see, some of the world’s most renowned companies realize that they must lead the way when it comes to sustainability and turning the climate emergency around. Additionally, consumers increasingly vow only to support brands that are making a positive difference in the world.
The proliferation of high-profile businesses with plans for sustainability and social initiatives has reached an impressive peak. But regrettably, the same can also be said of greenwashing, which is when a business presents itself as eco-friendly or inclusive in an attempt to obscure past or current business practices that are actually doing nothing or can even be harmful.
So far, corporate reporting on sustainability has been lacking in transparency, quality, consistency, and comparability, which makes it difficult to determine where to direct investments and individual dollars. Creating baseline social and environmental standards would help unblock vital injections needed to back companies and impact initiatives focused on long-term impact creation.
It is therefore important not to hop too quickly on the green bandwagon, but think about how corporate actions impact their environment. Do they create vital awareness but still produce unnecessary waste? Post inclusive images on social media, but still don’t create clothing in inclusive sizes?
The SDGs give companies the guidelines they need to impact their particular field. What is your business doing to be part of the change?
This article is written in collaboration with Proof of Impact. You do not have to be a huge multinational to transform your business into an impactful one. POI can help you pinpoint the areas you can make a difference, team up with vetted organizations making a meaningful impact, and verify and track your business's exact impact on the world.
Visit Proofofimpact.com/corporate for more information, or contact us via hello@proofofimpact.com. We'd love to learn about your business and help bring your sustainability goals to life.
