TY - JOUR

T1 - Harnessing the Sustainable Development Goals for businesses

T2 - A progressive framework for action

AU - Redman, Aaron

PY - 2018/12/1

Y1 - 2018/12/1

N2 - Businesses, as with other sectors in society, are not yet taking sufficient action towards achieving sustainability. The United Nations recently agreed upon a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which if properly harnessed, provide a framework (so far lacking) for businesses to meaningfully drive transformations to sustainability. This paper proposes to operationalize the SDGs for businesses through a progressive framework for action with three discrete levels: communication, tactical, and strategic. Within the tactical and strategic levels, several innovative approaches are discussed and illustrated. The challenges of design and measurement as well as opportunities for accountability and the social side of Sustainability, together call for transdisciplinary, collective action. This paper demonstrates feasible pathways and approaches for businesses to take corporate social responsibility to the next level and utilize the SDG framework informed by sustainability science to support transformations towards the achievement of sustainability.

AB - Businesses, as with other sectors in society, are not yet taking sufficient action towards achieving sustainability. The United Nations recently agreed upon a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which if properly harnessed, provide a framework (so far lacking) for businesses to meaningfully drive transformations to sustainability. This paper proposes to operationalize the SDGs for businesses through a progressive framework for action with three discrete levels: communication, tactical, and strategic. Within the tactical and strategic levels, several innovative approaches are discussed and illustrated. The challenges of design and measurement as well as opportunities for accountability and the social side of Sustainability, together call for transdisciplinary, collective action. This paper demonstrates feasible pathways and approaches for businesses to take corporate social responsibility to the next level and utilize the SDG framework informed by sustainability science to support transformations towards the achievement of sustainability.

KW - corporate social responsibility

KW - sustainability science

KW - sustainable business

KW - sustainable development

KW - Sustainable Development Goals

KW - Sustainability Governance

KW - Transdisciplinary studies

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85074391302&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/bsd2.33

DO - 10.1002/bsd2.33

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85074391302

VL - 1

SP - 230

EP - 243

JO - Business Strategy and Development

JF - Business Strategy and Development

SN - 2572-3170

IS - 4

ER -