Reporting on the SDGs

We are at a key moment in the evolution of sustainability; transparency is fast becoming the new paradigm for conducting business. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have ushered in a new era of global development objectives, aimed at addressing the world’s most pressing problems. The active participation of business is a principle driver in achieving these goals, but best practice for corporate reporting on the SDGs has yet to be established.

The UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, and GRI, the world’s leading organization for sustainability reporting, have formed a ground-breaking action platform to tackle this challenge. Business Reporting on the SDGs will complement the GRI GRI Standards and the UN Global Compact Communication on Progress, and enable measuring and reporting on the SDGs.

There is growing recognition of the value of corporate non-financial reporting. The Action Platform will leverage the GRI Standards – the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting standards – and the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact to help businesses incorporate SDG reporting into their existing processes. This will empower corporate action that can make the achievements of the SDGs a reality.

The Action platform has created three SDG reporting tools.

The first deliverable, the report Analysis of the Goals and Targets aims to help companies understand how they are impacting the SDGs and their targets, by providing a list of indicators to make reporting on the SDGs straightforward and simple to execute.

Translations of the Analysis of the Goals and Targets available now

The second deliverable, Integrating the SDGs into Corporate Reporting: A Practical Guide outlines three steps for companies to embed the SDGs in existing business and reporting processes in alignment with GRI Standards and recognized principles. The publication is meant to be used together with other relevant tools released by GRI, the UN Global Compact and their partners as part of a company’s regular reporting cycle.

Translations of the Practical Guide available now

Finally, the third publication, In Focus: Addressing Investor Needs in Business Reporting on the SDGs provides additional information about investor-relevant aspects of corporate SDG reporting.

Translations of Addressing Investor Needs in Business Reporting on the SDGs available now

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Engaging leading businesses and non-corporate stakeholders

The Action Platform is built from two components:

The Corporate Action Group (CAG) serves as a business engagement and peer learning forum, where business representatives can demonstrate leadership by helping define and promote their contributions to the SDGs.

The Multi-stakeholder Advisory Committee (MAC) is comprised of the members of the CAG, plus representatives from other stakeholder groups: governments, international and civil society organizations, investors, trade unions, data users, statistical offices and academics. This committee will provide guidance for the research and analysis done by the UN Global Compact and GRI.

Integrating the SDGs into Corporate Reporting: A Practical Guide outlines how businesses can measure and disclose their contribution to and impact on the SDGs) through a three-step approach and in alignment with recognized principles and reporting standards. The examples featured in this series help businesses and interested stakeholders identify select current corporate SDG reporting practices.

The examples focus on one or a few elements of the broader corporate reporting process and steps outlined in the Practical Guide, which should be consulted for best practices on SDG reporting. The inclusion of company names in this series of examples is intended strictly for information and learning purposes and does not constitute an endorsement of the individual companies by the UN Global Compact or GRI.

GRI wishes to thank Sida, whose support has not just led to these case studies and the business reporting on the SDGs publications, but to the promotion of sustainability reporting globally through its support of GRI's wider programs and activities. You can find out more about GRI's work with Sida, and other strategic partners, on GRI's strategic partnerships webpage.

View video of the partnership project here:

You can also watch the webinar by GRI and the UN Global Compact organized in February 2017.

GRI, the UN Global Compact and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) have developed the SDG Compass to support companies in aligning their strategies with the SDGs and in measuring and managing their contribution. The SDG Compass incorporates feedback received through three consultation periods from companies, government agencies, academic institutions and civil society organizations worldwide. The compass includes a linkage document to link the SDGs to the relevant indicators and disclosures in the GRI Standards. For further information, please visit the GRI Standards Resource Download Center or download the full SDG Compass Guide.

Action Platform partners

The Action Platform is a collaborative effort from the UN Global Compact and GRI, with support from the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). The MAC will also collaborate with organizations such as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

The work of the Action Platform is made possible through the strategic, managerial and analytical contribution of PwC and its expert team from four different countries.

Get in touch

For other inquiries and information on how to engage with the Action Platform, please contact Ms. Charlotte Portier, GRI (portier@globalreporting.org) and Mr. Bernhard Frey, UN Global Compact (freyb@un.org).