The Make-or-Break Decade for the SDGs has begun

competing products (this specific example
is a case of an attribute tradeoff,
whereby the attribute of the product
being more ethical is balanced by it
being more expensive).
• Lack of relevant options or increased
difficulty of choosing those options, for
example in the case of having no environmentally
friendly version of a necessary
product available for purchase.
• External forces that prompt people to act
against their values, such as marketing
that encourages people to buy a certain
type of unhealthy food.
We must talk
Answers to these questions can best be
found through appropriate stakeholder
dialog. Such dialog formats can be roughly
divided into three parts: the “problem
space,” the “solution space,” and the
“organizational space.” The goals of the
dialog processes are:
1. getting to know the initiatives through
their presentation of the results of the
respective self-evaluations,
2. having the participants work out
– under guidance and appropriate
moderation methods – structural
obstacles that stand in the way of
greater effectiveness,
3. developing suggestions together to
promote sustainable action in practice.
You will not find an answer to all open
points. Moreover, this process is very
time-consuming. In the long run, it is
almost impossible for most companies
to conduct such stakeholder dialogs on
their own and at their own expense.
That is why it is worth getting involved
in industry initiatives. The exchanges on
such platforms can serve as useful aids.
Two activities of the UNGC are worth
highlighting here:
To support companies everywhere in
advancing the ambitions of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, the
UNGC has developed a portfolio of Action
Platforms to inspire new and leading
approaches to sustainable business. By
bringing committed companies together
with relevant experts and stakeholders,
Action Platforms provide a collaborative
space to:
• shape the definition of leadership on
critical sustainability issues and inspire
continuous performance improvement,
• participate in time-bound action plans
to address sustainability challenges
and support the achievement of goals,
• engage with stakeholders that have the
power and influence to move sectors
and peers in the right direction,
• utilize the unique assets of the UN
Global Compact to advance the case for
responsible business practices globally.
The UNGC has also developed the Global
Impact Initiatives, which support companies
in embedding the SDGs in their
core business. In this way, companies
align their activities with Agenda 2030,
become more resilient, and develop
new business opportunities. Available
to participating companies of the UNGC,
Global Impact Initiatives are run in close
collaboration with Global Compact Local
Networks and are designed with a view
to generating behavior change across a
large number of companies at the local
level – achieving maximum impact
and scale.
Companies participating in the Global
Impact Initiatives will:
• learn from thought leadership content,
best practices, and resources,
• access a diverse set of global and local
engagement opportunities such as
awareness-raising campaigns, trainings,
mentoring, and blended learning,
• increase employee engagement and
professional development opportunities,
• build a professional network of peers,
UN partners, and experts,
• accelerate the integration of the SDGs
and Ten Principles into your company’s
business strategy and operations,
• deliver concrete company-specific outcomes.
(Figure 7)
Figure 7:
UNGC ACTION
PLATFORMS
► Financial innovation for the
SDGs
► Peace, justice, & strong
institutions
► Decent work in global supply
chains
► Pathways to low-carbon and
resilient development
► Business for action platform
for the ocean
► Water security through
stewardship
GLOBAL IMPACT
INITIATIVES
► Target gender equality
► SDG ambition
► Young SDG innovators program
► Climate ambition accelerator
44 Global Goals Yearbook 2021