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Definition

Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 connected UN goals for improving social, economic, and environmental conditions by 2030, used by companies as a voluntary framework for prioritizing and explaining relevant impacts.

What are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals?

All UN Member States adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the 2030 Agenda in 2015. They are:

  • No Poverty
  • Zero Hunger
  • Good Health and Well-being
  • Quality Education
  • Gender Equality
  • Clean Water and Sanitation
  • Affordable and Clean Energy
  • Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
  • Reduced Inequalities
  • Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • Responsible Consumption and Production
  • Climate Action
  • Life Below Water
  • Life on Land
  • Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
  • Partnerships for the Goals

Why do the SDGs matter to your company?

Customers and investors may ask for a report or platform answer that connects your work to wider outcomes. The SDGs supply familiar labels, but they are not a company certification and do not require you to claim all 17.

How do companies use the SDGs?

Start with your impacts and the request. Choose the few relevant goals, then link each to a UN target, a specific result under that goal, and to an action, owner, metric, period and evidence. CDP 2026 question 4.6.1 asks whether a policy matches global goals; the previous guidance names SDG 6 for water policies. EcoVadis scores policies, actions and results, so an SDG map can organize evidence but not replace it.

What mistakes should you avoid?

  • Mapping every routine activity to every plausible goal.
  • Showing positive links while hiding important harm, which is SDG-washing.
  • Using icons without a target, action, owner, period or evidence.

Are the SDGs mandatory for companies?

No, unless a contract or programme requires a mapping. Governments agreed the goals; company use is generally voluntary.

How many SDGs should your company choose?

There is no fixed number. Choose the goals linked to your main positive and negative impacts, then keep only those you can support with a target, result and evidence.

Example

Hypothetical example: a mid-sized packaging supplier is preparing its annual sustainability report after a customer asks how its work supports the SDGs. It chooses SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth; SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production; and SDG 13, Climate Action. It does not claim the other 14.

For SDG target 8.8 on safe working environments, it cites its safety policy, training records and incident log. For target 12.5 on reducing waste, it provides recycled-content specifications, scrap weights and waste-contractor certificates. For target 13.3 on climate-change education and capacity, it provides staff training material, attendance records, the training period and named owner. Its report table names the target, action, evidence, owner, reporting period and result for each goal.

Where it comes up

CDP 2026 Question 4.6.1 environmental policy alignment with global environmental treaties or policy goalsCDP Full Corporate Questionnaire, 4.6.1; SDG 6 water-policy option retained from 2025EcoVadis Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement themesEcoVadis Ratings methodology, evidence across policies, actions and results

Related terms

Sustainability Reporting

Sustainability reporting is the process of publishing evidence-backed information about a company's environmental, social, and governance impacts, risks, opportunities, policies, targets, and performance for a defined period and business boundary.

Materiality

Materiality is the test a company uses to decide which sustainability topics matter enough to manage or report because they could affect its finances, reflect significant impacts on people or the environment, or both.

Greenwashing

Greenwashing is a false or misleading environmental message that makes a product, service, investment, or business appear more beneficial or less harmful to the environment than the evidence supports.

Sustainability

Sustainability is how a company manages its environmental and social impacts, governs those responsibilities, and shows customers, investors and regulators credible evidence of its decisions, actions and results.

VSME sustainability reporting standard

The VSME sustainability reporting standard is a voluntary EU framework that helps non-listed micro, small, and medium-sized undertakings give proportionate sustainability information to banks, investors, and corporate customers.

Sources

Sources checked 2026-08-18

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Sustainable Development Goals Definition | Keslio