It can be hard to know where to get started when it comes to aligning an organisation with the goals. It is a work in progress, an evolving field in which organisations are constantly developing new techniques and frameworks. The following tools and resources can help organisations on their SDGs journey.
Future-Fit Business Benchmarks Future Fit have developed an open source benchmarking methodology, starting with global challenges, and then working backwards to consider how businesses can measure and account for these challenges. The tool is particularly relevant to accountants as it includes familiar language and concepts, such as break-even analysis. The tool also gives characteristics of a resilient, sustainable business and how these can be mapped to the SDGs through a series of measures and risk indicators.
Future-Fit Business Benchmarks52
Business in the Community’s Responsible Business Tracker Business in the Community (BITC) is one of the leading sustainable business networks and they have created the Responsible Business Tracker. This measurement tool translates the SDGs into key business activities, which links the goals to different measures and attributes. The information inputted into the tracker is confidential, but BITC produces an annual report based on the aggregated information to give a view of the lay of the land.
Business in the Community’s Responsible Business Tracker53
G17 Eco’s SDG Tools G17Eco has developed a range of open-source tools to help organisations map the SDGs. These tools include the Sustainable Development Global Accounting Principles, which map the SDGs against relevant frameworks such as Caron Disclosure Project (CDP) and indicates how impact might be defined and measured.
Another tool is the G17Eco’s World Tracker, which maps performance against the SDGs on a national basis. This can be particularly useful for understanding SDG impact across the whole supply chain. For a UK company selling mangos grown in India the tool allows an organisation to see India’s performance on the SDGs relating to water usage, and understand whether the organisation may be inadvertently causing issues elsewhere through its supply chain.
G17Eco’s SDG tools54
World Benchmarking Alliance The World Benchmarking Alliance has assessed 2,000 of the world’s companies, measuring contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ranked the most influential.
The SDG2000 list55
FM magazine article — Translating the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals This article explores the practical role management accountants have in helping businesses navigate the 17 U.N. SDGs.
Translating the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals56
AICPA & CIMA Sustainability and Business Series — E, S, and, G introductions These are introductory reports into ESG factors finance professional should build up their literacy.
Putting the E in ESG57
Putting the S in ESG58
Putting the G in ESG59
