What are the best practices for aligning business reports with the UN Sustainable Development Goals?

Desde ODSforBusiness siempre aplicamos la metodología SDG Compass de naciones unidas: Conocer/Priorizar/ Medir/ Integrar/ Reportar y Comunicar. “Conocer” es esencial para que todas las personas que forman parte de la organización entiendan la contribución y la mejorar de esta visión sostenible. Conectar con esa visión desde la especialidad de cada área aportar mucho valor:conocimiento especializado, ideas de mejora, motivación, etc. Para esto es necesario escuchar a todos y extraer los insights que nos lleven a una priorización optima y por departamentos. El proceso SDG Compass no es lineal, se retroalimenta en todas las fases. La Comunicación interna y la formación son la clave del éxito de una estrategia de sostenibilidad empresarial.

To make our work effective; it is essential to understand our audience. So at foremost; familiarity with the understanding of our viewers/readers makes it easy for businesses to align with the needs.

Aligning business reports with the UN Sustainable Development Goals goes beyond mere compliance; it involves taking meaningful steps toward a more sustainable and equitable future. Best practices necessitate the consideration of several key points: 1. Integrating sustainability into core business strategy planning. 2. Developing a robust plan for monitoring and evaluation (M&E). 3. Ensuring transparency in data disclosure. 4. Streamlining data collection and communication. 5. Achieving global alignment with an integrated reporting framework.

Early stage businesses should consider whether they might raise funding from impact investors who align with specific SDGs relevant to a given industry. If so then building business processes to report on these indicators may be a helpful tool for future capital raises. Many impact investors will align with the IRIS+ metrics platform maintained by the Global Impact Investing Network.

Most organisations try to support the SDGs that naturally benefit by way of the business purpose. However, if your organisation feels passionate about particular goals that don't necessarily feel aligned to your purpose but you have the capacity and ability to drive meaningful change, then go for it!

Businesses are already actively involved in areas such as renewable energy transition, effective governance, and creating positive social and environmental impacts. These businesses have realized that there is a growing need for other organizations to strengthen their ability to identify, report on, and disclose their sustainability goals and efforts. In essence, businesses recognize the importance of capacity building to help organizations better address and communicate their sustainability initiatives.

Data can be shared in the form of evidence, only when businesses collect that data. It is important for stakeholders to understand the importance of planning of KPIs aligned with sustainability indicators. It is important to understand the critical role of data strategy, data privacy and data security. The role of block chain and artificial intelligence may be increased in coming years, especially in environmental sustainability KPIs.

One thing I've found helpful is the use real-life examples or analogies to illustrate complex concepts or metrics. Analogies can make abstract ideas more relatable and understandable. When helpful, include a glossary or a list of key terms at the end of your report to provide definitions and explanations for technical terms or acronyms that are essential for your report but may not be widely understood. Incorporate visual aids, such as icons, symbols, or diagrams, to reinforce key messages. These visual elements can assist in conveying information, particularly for readers who are visually oriented.

Using infographics to simplify complex data and convey key messages in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand manner. Example : instead of showing absolute numbers such as carbon emissions/reduction, provide their equivalents such as number of flights from A to B.

Data management and governance: Develop a robust data collection and reporting system to track progress towards your sustainability goals. Use credible metrics and reporting standards, such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) or the Sustainable Development Goals Reporting (SDG) standards.