Development Goals for the World

Within the framework of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, 17 goals for global sustainable development were established under the name “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs) in 2015. The novelty is that this global agenda has been drawn up not just for developing and emerging countries but rather for all members of the United Nations. For the first time, industry has a major role in the implementation process of the SDGs.

The sustainability goals can be achieved only if the three pillars of sustainability – economic, social, and ecological dimensions – are pursued at the same time. None of these dimensions can be neglected. The same applies for the implementation of the 17 individual goals of the SDGs.

It is expected that the SDGs will have a significant impact on the global modernisation agenda. It is beyond dispute that these ambitious goals can be achieved only with the help of industry – its innovative strength and will-ingness to invest. For this reason, industry must be put into a position – through the appropriate economic, ecological, and social framework conditions – in which it can realise its full potential to implement the SDGs.

This is why the BDI initiated the project “International Sustainability Policy” in 2015. The aim is to develop new ideas for shaping the global framework conditions for an international sustainability policy. In 2016, the BDI took part for the first time as German representative in the High-Level Political Forum of the UN in New York. At this annual international sustainability conference, the UN Member States report on their progress in implementing Agenda 2030. In this way, BDI contributed actively to shaping the framework conditions for international sustainability policy. In September 2017, the BDI established a working group across branches and departments to tackle the issue of sustainability policy with the goal to develop a more sound and powerful positioning of German industry in the national and international debate on sustainability.

Business and SDGs

Together with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Devel-opment, the BDI is organizing a series of workshops titled “Sustainably Successful: Business and SDGs”. In Berlin, Frankfurt am Main, and Munich, companies will have the opportunity to learn in detail about selected aspects of the SDGs and to define their approach to meeting those goals. Understanding the SDGs can help companies to analyse their supply chains more closely, optimize production and sales, and put procurement on a new footing.

 

 

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