Giving Compass' Take:

• B Corporations are poised to help achieve the SDGs because their organizational model is dedicated to helping build a better future.

• What are some examples of B Corporations currently moving the needle on SDG achievement? What can donors learn from the B Corp model?

• Read about why small businesses can (and should) do more to align with the SDGs. 

Tackling the world’s biggest challenges requires collaboration, dedication and a healthy amount of ambition. As outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015 by all 193 United Nations member states, these issues — the three mentioned above and 14 others — are formidable, but they also present opportunities for growth and improvement.

Certified B Corporations and other purpose-minded business and organizations play a crucial role in overcoming these challenges and working to achieve the SDGs.

By operating in ways that create better opportunities for workers while protecting the environment and strengthening their communities, B Corps serve as examples for other organizations looking to provide a better future for all people and for businesses looking to balance profit and purpose.

The Sustainable Development Goals comprise issues that require companies to rethink their business approach so they can contribute to a better future for all on Earth. To enhance this work, B Lab is working with the UN Global Compact and other partners to develop a tool for launch in 2020 to help companies chart their next decade of progress on the SDGs.

Plastic pollution is among the most visible current climate concerns, with studies noting its pervasiveness (1 trillion single-use bags a year), its role in environmental justice (flooding countries that aren’t able to handle it) and its effect on marine life (plastics have been found in more than 60 percent of all seabirds and 100 percent of sea turtle species).

Yet it was not recognized as a separate goal when the United Nations adopted the Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 SDGs in 2015.

On B the Change, learn more about the three actions the foundation sees as key to the fight against plastic pollution and how we can reduce plastic production and its associative harms in the first place.

Read the full article about how B corps are helping achieve the SDGs at B the Change.