How can you prioritize SDGs for your business?

2 Engage your stakeholders

The second step to prioritize SDGs for your business is to engage your stakeholders and solicit their feedback and expectations. Your stakeholders include your customers, employees, suppliers, investors, regulators, communities, and civil society organizations. You can use various methods to communicate and consult with them, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, workshops, or online platforms. By listening to your stakeholders, you can gain valuable insights into their needs and preferences, their perceptions and opinions, and their challenges and aspirations. This will help you align your goals and actions with their interests and values.

3 Select your priorities

The third step to prioritize SDGs for your business is to select your priorities based on your impact assessment and stakeholder engagement. You can use various criteria and tools to help you prioritize, such as the materiality matrix, the SDG Action Manager, or the SDG Industry Matrix. By applying these criteria and tools, you can rank the SDGs and targets according to their relevance and importance for your business and society. You can also consider the interlinkages and trade-offs between the different goals and targets, and how they can support or hinder each other. This will help you focus on the most strategic and significant issues for your business and stakeholders.

4 Define your objectives

The fourth step to prioritize SDGs for your business is to define your objectives and set SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) targets. You can use various sources and references to help you define your objectives, such as the SDG indicators, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), or the UN Global Compact principles. By using these sources and references, you can ensure that your objectives are aligned with the global agenda and the best practices in your industry. You can also consider the potential benefits and costs of achieving your objectives, and how they can affect your competitiveness and reputation. This will help you create a clear and realistic action plan.

5 Implement your actions

The fifth step to prioritize SDGs for your business is to implement your actions and monitor your progress. You can use various tools and systems to help you implement your actions, such as the SDG Accelerator, the B Corp Certification, or the ISO 26000 standard. By using these tools and systems, you can integrate the SDGs into your core business functions and processes, such as your governance, strategy, innovation, marketing, and operations. You can also collaborate and partner with other organizations and stakeholders who share your vision and goals, and leverage their resources and expertise. This will help you scale up your impact and create shared value.

6 Communicate your results

The sixth step to prioritize SDGs for your business is to communicate your results and share your learnings. You can use various channels and formats to help you communicate your results, such as your website, social media, annual report, case studies, or events. By using these channels and formats, you can showcase your achievements and challenges, your best practices and lessons learned, and your future plans and commitments. You can also engage and inspire your stakeholders and audiences, and solicit their feedback and suggestions. This will help you build trust and credibility, and foster continuous improvement and innovation.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?