Sustainable Development Goals – The Path from 2015 and Beyond 2030
Today we have a Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) flag proudly displayed in our office in Fitzrovia in central London. And we want to tell you why…
Created in 2015, the SDGs were set out by the United Nations to help chart a path to overcome the world’s biggest challenges – from poverty to inequality to climate change. 193 countries have ratified these seventeen goals, each with specific targets that the world must reach to deliver on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Today marks the seventh anniversary of the implementation of the SDGs, and we still have some way to go. For instance, reaching SDG 7 of ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, modern energy by 2030 seems difficult. At today’s rate of progress, 670 million people will remain without electricity by 2030. Certainly, the COVID-19 pandemic derailed progress heavily, but the recent energy crisis caused by the Russian invasion has exacerbated matters further.
However, this isn’t over yet- there’s still time to get back on track ahead of the midway point to the goals. Governments and policy makers are doing their part, but they aren’t the only ones crucial to this process. By pushing more organisations around the world to get involved with the SDGs, the targets may still be reached in time.
As such, the SDG Flag campaign was created in the Netherlands in 2020, to help galvanise further support and involvement. The campaign encourages organisations to demonstrate their commitment to the goals and the actions they’re taking to combat these major challenges.
This year, Skating Panda is participating by flying the flag our office. Not only are we presenting how important this is to us as a social and environmental B-Corp impact consultancy, but it also helps spread awareness of the campaign to other companies who share and come into our workspace.
Now it’s easy to simply hoist a flag, take a photo, and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. But we all know that online shoutouts aren’t enough and don’t lead to action. It’s not enough to say your company is dedicated to the SDGs, you have to actually commit.
So, how can we all engage with the SDGs?
Fortunately, the UN Global Compact, which is responsible for the flag campaign, has suggested a couple of ideas for businesses keen to get involved in with the SDGs and becoming more impactful:
Refer to the SDG Compass Guide
For businesses who need help finding their feet, this guide provides companies with a step-by-step approach on how to align their strategies while maximising their SDG contributions.
Manage your SDG Action
Developed by the UN Global Compact and the B Lab, the SDG Action Manager helps identify which SDG goals are the most important to your business, and to help track companies’ progress. As a B-Corp certified company, understanding how far Skating Panda has come regarding our commitment to the goals is important.
Exploring industry-specific examples
The SDG Industry Matrix is valuable for companies and helps you find inspiration from peers within their respective industries. The industries highlighted are financial services, food, beverage and consumer goods, healthcare and life sciences, industrial manufacturing, transportation and energy.
Integrate SDGs with Reporting
Through a simple three-step process, the UN Global Compact helps businesses better report their impact on the SDGs and address the needs of relevant stakeholders. At Skating Panda, we’re preparing our annual impact report so that we continue to measure our impact and hold ourselves to account. Since we were set up, we have always measured our success based on our real impact in the world.
We’re not only passionate about but also deeply committed to delivering a real impact and achieving the SDGs and we’d love to hear more about how other businesses across the UK are getting involved and banding #TogetherForTheSDGs.
To let us know and if you have questions, drop us a line on info@skatingpanda.com