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Introduction: The Sustainable Development Goals and the Future of Corporate Sustainability

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Business and the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Martinuzzi and Schönherr provide a comprehensive summary of the evolution of corporate sustainability, spanning the range from philanthropy, via the systematic implementation of eco-efficiency and management systems, product differentiation and innovation, to contemporary strategies that directly link core business and sustainability impacts. They highlight successes and limitations of these strategies and discuss implications for the future of corporate sustainability, which they view as impact-oriented, collaborative, data-intensive, and systemic. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals are introduced as a business-relevant, universally applicable framework that may guide companies in better measuring and managing their impacts on sustainability in light of this expanded understanding of corporate sustainability.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The ISO conducts an annual survey among registered and accredited certification organizations to compile statistics on active certificates across the globe. See https://www.iso.org/the-iso-survey.html

  2. 2.

    For more information on the International Standardization Organization (ISO), its history, and mandate, see 1997, available at https://www.iso.org/files/live/sites/isoorg/files/about%20ISO/docs/en/Friendship_among_equals.pdf

  3. 3.

    For more information, see http://ec.europa.eu/environment/emas/emas_registrations/statistics_graphs_en.htm

  4. 4.

    Data from Statista (www.statista.com), based on Willer and Lernoud (2018), and Fairtrade International (2018).

  5. 5.

    For more information on Corporate Social Responsibility in the European Union, please see https://ec.europa.eu/growth/industry/corporate-social-responsibility_en

  6. 6.

    For further reading, see IMPACT: Transforming Business, Changing the World—The United Nations Global Compact https://www.unglobalcompact.org/library/1331

  7. 7.

    For further reading, see the WBCSD Guide on Measuring Socio-Economic Impact https://www.wbcsd.org/Programs/People/Social-Impact/Resources/WBCSD-Measuring-Impact

  8. 8.

    For further reading, see the Better Business Better World Report http://report.businesscommission.org/

  9. 9.

    This interview has been abbreviated and lightly edited for clarity. The full interview is available at http://www.global-value.eu/toolkit/sessions/the-sdg-compass-a-framework-for-strategic-corporate-engagement/

  10. 10.

    For further reading, see the Analysis of SDGs and Targets: https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/GRI_UNGC_Business-Reporting-on-SDGs_Analysis-of-Goals-and-Targets.pdf

  11. 11.

    For further reading, see The GRI and the SDGs https://www.globalreporting.org/information/SDGs/Pages/SDGs.aspx

  12. 12.

    For further reading, see Integrating the SDGs into Corporate Reporting https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/GRI_UNGC_Reporting-on-SDGs_Practical_Guide.pdf

  13. 13.

    Business leaders assemble every year around the same time at the annual meeting of the High-level Political Forum at the SDG Business Forum; see https://www.sdgbusinessforum.org/

  14. 14.

    For further reading, see Measuring Progress on the SDGs: A Mapping of the SDG Indicators and GRI Standards https://www.globalreporting.org/resourcelibrary/SDG-indicator-mapping.pdf

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Managing Sustainability, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austria

    André Martinuzzi & Norma Schönherr

Authors
  1. André Martinuzzi
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  2. Norma Schönherr
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Correspondence to Norma Schönherr .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Managing Sustainability, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austria

    Norma Schönherr

  2. Institute for Managing Sustainability, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austria

    André Martinuzzi

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Martinuzzi, A., Schönherr, N. (2019). Introduction: The Sustainable Development Goals and the Future of Corporate Sustainability. In: Schönherr, N., Martinuzzi, A. (eds) Business and the Sustainable Development Goals. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16810-0_1

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