Big Picture
Corporate Social Responsibility is centrally oriented to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The 17 main and 169 sub-goals for sustainable development came into force on January 1, 2016 with a term of 15 years (until 2030) and in turn build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) defined by the UN in 2001.
The SDGs expand on the objectives of the MDGs and serve as a compass for tackling current challenges. They are intended to ensure sustainable development worldwide at the economic, social and ecological levels up to the year 2030, to better protect our natural resources and to safeguard opportunities for a life in dignity and prosperity across the generations. Implementing these goals is the task of all social players – and thus of the business community.
After all, companies of all sizes always influence the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals through their actions. And they do so in a positive way: companies create jobs, train apprentices, pay taxes, or reduce their energy and resource consumption in their production processes thanks to the use of new technologies. Good companies and managers ensure a better quality of life, health and well-being for their workforce, consciously select their suppliers and production sites, and thus contribute their share to social development – not only in their own country.
The SDGs thus offer companies the opportunity to become even more aware of their responsibilities, to question them on an ongoing basis, and to improve them: Where are we already contributing to the common good? How can we reduce the negative impacts of our actions? Where can we generate additional positive effects?