For two months, CEBDS opened its digital channels for the #PorUmMundoMelhor action, which attracted 20 companies and Brazilian Global Compact Network to show how the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have been integrating their business strategies.
Through blog posts and LinkedIn posts, CEOs and executives from large companies presented actions and projects that range from generating income for indigenous women to managing the Amazon Fund, which promotes initiatives to combat deforestation.
For 20 years, CEBDS has been combining the business perspective with socio-environmental issues that are emerging in a world undergoing intense transformation. In opening text of the action, Luan Santos and Vinicius Mansur explained the Guide to the SDGs for Companies which provides a step-by-step guide to implementing the SDGs, from mapping the goals to reporting on the objectives. Now, CEBDS is launching the Portuguese version of the Guide for CEOs on the Sustainable Development Goals, in partnership with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
This Guide shares the vision that the private sector must play a crucial role as a source of financing; as a driver of innovation and technological development; and as a fundamental driver of economic growth and employment, with the horizon always focused on achieving global sustainability goals and objectives.
In this scenario, CEO leadership becomes essential, converting the needs and ambitions that the SDGs represent into business solutions. The Guide also highlights the importance of publicizing actions involving the SDGs in companies, as we have done in the last two months (and we will continue to do #PorABetterWorld!).
Paul Polman, Global CEO of Unilever and chairman of the WBCSD, is one of the great enthusiasts of the SDGs. Aware of the importance of the global goals, Polman states that “there is no business case for endless poverty”. It is therefore in the interest of companies (and the world!) to create a sustainable and equitable future for everyone.
Below, you can find out about the main points of the guide!
CEO's Guide to the SDGs
Overall, the Guide argues that managing negative social impacts, especially those linked to human rights, should be a priority for any company. The document is based on the report Better Business, Better World, prepared by the Commission for Sustainable and Business Development and published earlier this year.
The Guide provides six fundamental recommendations for CEOs:
These solutions will enable societies to better manage risk, anticipate consumer demand, build positions in expanding markets, secure access to needed resources and strengthen their supply chains, while moving the world forward towards the SDGs.
If your company does not adapt to the new scenario, the Guide highlights that four implications may occur:
Doing nothing is an expensive option, and let’s be honest, it’s no longer an option. Make the SDGs your business! Take this to your family, your friends, and the communities you live in.
A beautiful example of this can be found in the text “A Better World: It's a Family Affair”, written by Gabriela Burian, Monsanto’s Global Director of Sustainability and WBCSD Strategic Advisor for the Americas. With lightness, she shows how her family is committed to implementing the SDGs through actions that we can (and should) all do on a daily basis.
Building a better world is everyone's responsibility, but it is essential that the business sector assumes its leadership role.
Read the texts and posts from all the companies participating in the #PorUmMundoMelhor action:
OK: Blog It is LinkedIn
Siemens: Blog It is LinkedIn
Itau-Unibanco: Blog It is LinkedIn
Monsanto: Blog It is LinkedIn
Anglo American: Blog It is LinkedIn
Ticket Log: Blog It is LinkedIn
CPFL: Blog It is LinkedIn
ArcelorMittal: Blog It is LinkedIn
Nature: Blog It is LinkedIn
Ambev: Blog It is LinkedIn
Neoenergia: Blog It is LinkedIn
Apothecary: Blog It is LinkedIn
Votorantim Cement: Blog It is LinkedIn
Suzanthe:Blog It is LinkedIn
BASF: Blog It is LinkedIn
Eletrobras: Blog It is LinkedIn
Shell: Blog It is LinkedIn
BNDES: Blog It is LinkedIn
Aegean: Blog It is LinkedIn
Alcoa: Blog It is LinkedIn
