We hope you’ll enjoy reading this guide and see how your business can become a real force for good in the world.
The 17 SDGs (sometimes called ‘The GlobalGoals’) is a collection of independent but interconnected goals carefully designed to give all of us on our planet a better future, with hundreds of targets and measurement indicators geared toward a date of 2030. The goals were created with businesses in mind, providing a path – what some people refer to as a “Pathway for Humanity” — for any business to harness their power by directing their efforts toward specific global objectives.
The goals themselves to be simple and direct, but powerful, ranging from ending poverty to building sustainable cities. Any individual can find something on the diverse list of Sustainable Development Goals to work toward. Small and medium-sized businesses, however, are uniquely positioned to make significant impacts on the SDG targets.
Paul Polman, Former Unilever CEO, Global Goals Ambassador
In a competitive world where many businesses struggle to survive, there seems to be little capital or effort to spare for anything other than the operations of the business itself. This makes it easy for even the most generous of entrepreneurs to say that “one day”, perhaps when their enterprise has grown, they can start using their success todo good in the world.
But businesses need to learn quickly that they don’t have to wait. From adopting simple changes in their day-to-day operation to giving back small amounts to a high-impact charity that aligns with one of the goals, every business, big or small can start right now.
Contact us to find out how your business can contribution to the Goals easily and impactfully.
There are a large number of causes around the world working on solving this issue, but they need support to keep their project running and growing. To maximize your impacts, choose to support projects that focus on giving a hand up instead of hand-out. This means occupational training that ensures long-term employability, or education that helps break the poverty cycle.
If your company sells a physical good, you are bound to have extra materials and old models laying around. Don’t let them go to waste! Find a local shelter for the homeless to give away some products, or an organization that can redistribute the goods to those in need.
Take Orion Labs as an example: the company now has its second generation of wearable communication devices on the market.
So what happened to the leftover first-generation inventory? Operations guru Andrew Sherman saw an opportunity at a local homeless youth organization that could put the product to good use. He provided the devices and arranged training for the non-profit’s team so that these new electronics could improve communications within the program and help it run more seamlessly.
We can all agree that nobody should go hungry in such an affluent world, but our communities are where we can do something about it. SDG 2 – Zero Hunger shows us a pathway to change the world by feeding our needy neighbors. Businesses can make a big impact by providing paid days off for employees to volunteer in hunger-related activities. Soup kitchens, food banks, and home food delivery programs for the needy and elderly are always in need of eager volunteers. There’s typically a greater need during the holiday season.
School lunches do more than just easing hunger. For many disadvantaged children around the world, school lunch could be the only nutritious meal of the day. The provision of free nourishing meals also encourages parents to enroll their children in local schools, incentivizes children to attend school regularly, and helps them concentrate better with their studies.
We can all be guilty of this – keeping our canned food for too long and forgot about them. Create a habit, be it in the office or at home, to clear out your pantry monthly or quarterly, and look for surplus food in your pantry. As long as they’re still good to use, bring it to a local shelter near you.
Expand the reach of your impacts by also give to causes that solving health issues around the world. From providing mosquito nets to families in Kenya that only costs a few dollars to sponsoring cataract operations to people in Indonesia that could cost a hundred – you can choose how you want to make a difference. Check out health projects in B1G1 here.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Safety guidelines are usually more common for industries that involve the use of heavy machinery, but there are some practices applicable for office environment as well.Show that you care by having a set of safety guidelines and conducting regular checks to make sure it’s followed. If you need some inspiration, check out this gallery of safety practice illustrations by WSH Council in Singapore.
If you’re not one that operates heavy machinery, chances are some of your suppliers do. Choose to work with suppliers that also have good safety practices in place.
Gym membership, regular health check-up, mental health support programs are just some of the things you can offer your employees as part of ensuring good health and well being for everyone.
Education is the pathway out of poverty and the foundation for a better future. There is no dispute on that. Sponsor local school scholarships or give to causes that build schools, supply books, and train teachers in remote areas of the world. By helping remove some of the barriers to education, you’re not just enriching their individual lives and leveling the playing field – you’re also adding talent to the workforce. Who knows? You could be helping to educate a future employee!
Find out more about education projects here.
In remote areas in many countries, schools are rare and not well-built. This poses a health risk for children as they attend their daily classes. Support projects that help build schools in these areas could be another way to support education.
Ensure fair hiring evaluations, gender ratio, and rules and regulations to help you keep the hiring process in check. This also includes training your HR team to identify and eliminate any gender bias in the hiring process.
Go one step further and ensure a safe workplace for your team, especially female employees. Encourage one-on-one conversations to get to know them better and listen if they have concerns.
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