The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - Moving to next-level organisational integration

Many public and private sector organisations in Australia have made individual and sectoral commitments to advance the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). Realising advancement, however, necessitates organisational and business process integration which some organisations have struggled with. We’ve outlined the case for why organisations should go beyond just the public reporting of achievements towards the goals and to true organisational integration, along with some key factors and requirements to realise integrated progress towards the goals across the entire value chain.

In 2015, the UN developed the SDGs to provide a universal call to action to protect the planet, end poverty and foster global peace and prosperity. There are 17 goals in total, with all being integrated. The UN recognises that a balance between the goals is required to deliver positive outcomes.

Certain sectors have committed to advancing specific core goals and supporting all 17 SDGs. In their Global Goals for Local Communities Paper, the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) has committed the water industry to advance Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all, together with strong support to advance all 17 of the SDGs. Whilst wanting to contribute to such worthwhile aspirations, many organisations have needed help to cascade these nebulous, global goals into granular practical changes and business and organisational processes. To date, the SDGs have permeated corporate reporting and public-facing communications, but efforts at true integration remain limited.

Using the SDGs as an overarching framework to guide business and organisational decision-making can promote systems thinking and encourage planning and delivery that addresses complex challenges across the value chain. Whilst there are obvious opportunities for certain sectors to contribute to specific goals (for example, the water sector to SDG 6), the connection between the water sector and SDG

Goal 1: No Poverty, for example, may need to be clarified. However, many of the challenges faced by the water sector are multifaceted or compounded by several environmental, social, economic and governance factors. Further drivers and opportunities that can facilitate SDG integration are outlined in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

As an example, many organisations in Australia have committed to net zero carbon by varying dates, typically between 2030 - 2050. At present, this target will necessitate a level of carbon offsetting. These net zero efforts align with Goal 13: Climate Action. However, if approached and implemented in an integrated way that considers the entire value chain and all stakeholders, these efforts could also realise outcomes aligned with other goals, such as:

• SDG Goal 1: No Poverty, Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy and Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals – e.g. fitting photovoltaic cells on the rooves of customers in hardship, thereby social value cascading through offset obligations

• -Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities – e.g. investing in First Nations offsetting programs that can provide work programs for First Nations people and businesses whilst also benefitting ecosystems and promoting traditional land management practices.

Figure 2.

Figure 2 provides a schematic of the public and 'behind the scenes' organisational aspects that we consider require development and integration to realise true progress towards the SDGs across the full value chain. Based on our experience in SDG integration across multiple sectors, some of the critical factors required to enable tangible integration include:

• Alignment and integration with existing organisational strategy and implementation of an SDG roadmap with milestones, developed in collaboration with key leadership, Board and operations personnel

• Commitment and dedication from all levels of the business and workforce

• Accountability and governance arrangements for SDG roadmap delivery – including for KPI outcomes

• Clear performance management frameworks aligned to the SDGs established for the organisation, projects and programsobjectives, targets, KPIs

• Review of procurement processes to identify opportunities to influence the supply chain aligned to performance management frameworks

• Legacy frameworks for major projects/programs incorporating stakeholder engagement in identifying opportunities associated with SDG integration related to the major infrastructure.

As with all good strategies associated with realising more sustainable outcomes, the benefits that could be realised from SDG integration include:

• More integrated strategy, policy and programming

• Improved staff and stakeholder engagement

• Improved business and asset resilience

• Greater organisational problem-solving capacity

• Capacity building across the supply and value chain.

These drivers and opportunities for meaningful integration also apply within consulting sector organisations and is a journey that we have been progressing within Jacobs through our PlanBeyond 2.0 Sustainable Business Approach, which strives to integrate ESG and SDG considerations into our operations and every client solution that we deliver.

Emma Dade, Technical Director (Sustainability), Jacobs

Janine Barrow, Global Sustainability and Climate Response Director, Jacobs