Look after planet Earth. There’s no planet B
WE ONLY have one planet Earth and no planet B.
In September 2015, all 193 member states of the United Nations adopted a plan for achieving a better future for all – laying out a path over the next 15 years to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and protect our planet.
At the heart of “Agenda 2030” are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 related targets that address the most important economic, social, environmental and governance challenges of our time.
The SDGs clearly define the world we want – applying to all nations and leaving no one behind.
We are all in agreement on where the world needs to go.
The new global goals result from a process that has been more inclusive than ever, with governments involving business, civil society, higher education and citizens from the outset.
Amid a seeming international shift towards more nationalist politics and rhetoric, the SDGs place renewed emphasis on our global interconnectedness and the need to develop together.
The SDGs are inextricably linked and cross-cutting. For example, gender equality does not only fall within Goal 5.
The specific empowerment of girls and women are prioritised across other goals, recognising the important role that women play in sustainable development within their families and communities.
As with other development agendas, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development acknowledges business as a key partner in development, for its more obvious role in job creation and economic growth, but also for its potential in terms of financing, innovation and networks that can be leveraged to make transformative and lasting change in society.
The SDGs are more cognisant of the disparity between “developed” and “developing” countries and recognise the role that “developed” countries have to play in ensuring global equity.
Identifying areas of overlap and convergence between development agendas can contribute to more effective implementation.
Within the context of the above, there are some critical questions that arise. How for example, do business schools engage with sustainability?
In response, it is imperative that business schools subscribe to the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), an initiative by the United Nations Global Compact, which is a collaborative, collegial learning community that thrives on sharing good practices to inspire and champion responsible management, education, research and thought leadership globally.
Successful implementation of the SDGs will require all players to champion this agenda – the role of higher education is critical to this.
The SDGs are relevant for business and management schools.
Higher education institutions have the ability to influence students with responsible and sustainable business practices. This influence shapes tomorrow’s business leaders and society.
Although government plays a key role in advancing the goals, it is business that will be instrumental in the success of the individual targets through the way they operate, develop new business models, invest in communities, innovate and collaborate.
For companies, successful implementation of the SDGs will strengthen the enabling environment for doing business, minimising increasing risks, while also providing a myriad of new opportunities.
As such, it is business schools that will play an even more crucial role in the successful implementation of the SDGs.
Business schools should be seen as a key enabler for all the goals to transpire.
The daily decisions made around the world that influence the goals directly or indirectly are made by business school alumni or teams they work with or are based on academic research.
As business takes these issues more seriously, business schools need to stay ahead of the game or risk being left even further behind.
Business schools should be aligning with global priorities; they can no longer afford to sit on the side and watch.
Furthermore, the SDGs should not be seen as being separate from business. This is not about philanthropy, volunteering, development or problems happening somewhere else.
All 17 Global Goals, as they are increasingly called, impact and are impacted by all aspects of traditional business currently taught and researched in business schools all around the world.
As educators of today’s and tomorrow’s managers and leaders, it is important that all students know and understand the SDGs and their relevance to business, both in terms of risks and opportunities.
Embedding these in useful and relevant ways across the core curriculum of any and all programmes is important.
Creating the next generation of responsible leaders is already increasingly part of most business schools’ mission statements and goals.
Business schools should see the SDGs as an opportunity to align their research priorities in and around the goals.
For the business sectors around the world that are increasingly committed to the goals, many are still coming to grasp as to how they will engage and what they can do.
The new goals help shift research in a direction that is more relevant to business and society today, a criticism of much of the research currently coming out of business schools.
Business school research capabilities are an underutilised resource by both the business and global community when it comes to advancing sustainability.
The SDGs, with their long time frame and challenges for implementation, provide a range of new opportunities to develop and implement innovative partnerships with businesses of all sizes.
This includes new programmes, case studies, projects and events to name but a few.
Schools can become a safe platform to bring together different players, have the important discussions, and move issues forward.
The goals are yet another strong message for business schools to increase work across disciplines within the business school, and expand and collaborate deeper with other non-business disciplines.
The world around business schools is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary, and so business schools need to be as well.
No challenge, business or otherwise, can be solved with one kind of thinking alone.
Aligning academic institutions with the goals, and ensuring that they are implemented on campus is also important, as is looking beyond the campus at the community in which they are located and extending these efforts there.
Last but not least, business schools should engage faculty, staff and students in discussions happening with government, NGOs, and business around SDG-related topics locally, nationally, regionally and internationally.
It is easy to be sceptical, but business schools have a responsibility to translate this important global plan into something that resonates with their community.
The SDGs should become common language for all business school students.
Finally, it is imperative that we all remember we only have one plant Earth. There is no planet B.
Let us do whatever is necessary to sustain our planet, ourselves, our children and their great, great, great great, great grandchildren.
Subscribe to the Sustainable Development Goals. We owe it to the future.