There is a lot of talk now of climate change, wellbeing, and mental health as strategic imperatives for business. And, as you would expect, we are committed to supporting local businesses to achieve and deliver this. We believe that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – as many others do – are the basis and foundation for building this strategy and seeing, monitoring, and reporting on, the difference that your business can make.
The SDGs are 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a blueprint to achieve a more sustainable future for all. In 2020, the UN named the next ten-year periods as the ‘Decade of Action’ – with the goals intended to be achieved by 2030. This links to the scientific targets for climate change too, hence the recurrence of the date – which is only 8 years away…….
Staffordshire Chambers signed a commitment to the UN Global Compact at the instigation of our patrons and our board. We realised that the UN SDGs 17 goals, established by governments, civil society and business, provide a framework to save the planet and make the world a better and more sustainable place.
The Board and Council felt that this was something the Chamber should lead on, and I am proud to say that we have done an enormous amount of work internally to develop our own views about the SDGs and how we can use them as a business development tool.
We are now keen to share this with all Staffordshire businesses and highlight what Chamber Members are doing too – and so over the next year, each month, we will be highlighting one or two SDGs with focussed events, blogs, and engagement with business.
We hope that at the end of this programme we will have a set of tools, activities, a documented resource, and videos that businesses across Staffordshire will be able to use to highlight how they are contributing to the SDGs and how they want to work towards doing more to maximise their impact for people, profit, and planet. This is part of our commitment to you as part of SDG17 – Partnerships for the goals.
The UN SDGs encompass 17 clear topics on which businesses can build a strong business case and it is the Chambers belief that they are important because they will enable businesses to attract talent, attract investment and importantly will become what customers and suppliers expect from go-ahead and dynamic businesses.
The 17 SDGs are:
1. No hunger
2. Zero hunger
3. Good health and wellbeing
4. Quality education
5. Gender equality
6. Clean water and sanitation
7. Affordable and clean energy
8. Decent work and economic growth
9. Industry, innovation, and infrastructure
10. Reduced inequalities
11. Sustainable cities and communities
12. Responsible consumption and production
13. Climate action
14. Life below water
15. Life on land
16. Peace, justice, and strong institutions
17. Partnership for the goals
The Chambers’ SDG calendar for 2022 is:
January – SDG 17
February – SDGs 16 & 2
March – SDGs 10 & 5
April – SDG 13
May – SDGs 1 &3
June – SDG 12
July – SDGs 7 & 11
August – SDGs 6 & 14
September – SDG 4
October – SDG 8
November – SDGs 5, 3 & 15
December – SDG 9
I know that many businesses are already working toward the SDGs, and the programme will also help businesses to start and develop their journey to become effective in delivering the sustainable development goals as business objectives.
We will be publicising our SDGs programme through our usual channels and have a dedicated resource on our website. To offer to tell us what you are doing and contribute to the debate or to find out more email: sdg@staffordshirechambers.co.uk
You can view the UN SDG website here. We encourage as many businesses as possible to sign up to the UN Global Compact – specifically designed for businesses.
If you want to talk to us about any business issues, including funding, you can call our switchboard on 01782 202222 or call the Stoke and Staffs Growth Hub Helpline on 0300 111 8002 or email: info@staffordshirechambers.co.uk
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