Giving Compass' Take:

• The author explains why it would be in businesses' best interest to align their missions with SDG goals. Small-to-medium businesses specifically should be doing this because they make up around half of the private sector. 

• How does SDG mission alignment tie into businesses CSR models? 

• Read the seven reasons why we need to step up action on the sustainable development goals. 

Launched by the United Nations in 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a roadmap for solving the world’s most pressing challenges by 2030. The 17 goals and 169 targets include lofty ambitions such as ending poverty, achieving universal access to energy, and eliminating inequality in education. Along with UN member states that will use the goals to frame their public policies, the SDGs explicitly call on businesses to play an active role—and many are already stepping up.

As of February, four in 10 of the world’s largest firms referenced the SDGs in their corporate reporting, according to a study by KPMG, but many smaller companies remain unsure of how they fit in.

Small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent roughly half of all private-sector employment in the United States, according to the US Small Business Administration. In developing markets, up to 90 percent of all workers are employed by small businesses, so it’s not hard to see how important it is for growing companies to get on board with the agenda.

Achieving the SDGs will unlock at least $12 trillion in new market opportunities and create 380 million new jobs by 2030, according to a 2017 report from the Business and Sustainable Development Commission. Both small and large businesses will reap the benefits, but we’ll never realize them unless we have all hands on deck. By aligning their core purpose with the shared SDG roadmap, small businesses can be a part of the solution and help forge a future of equality and economic opportunity.

Read the full article about small businesses working toward SDGs by Mary Mazzoni at TriplePundit