Commit to the 2030 agenda

The first step is to commit to the 2030 agenda and to promote the sustainable development goals. It is recommended that your SME’s top executive indicates the enterprise’s commitment through the company's website, social networks, the sustainability report or in any other way that makes this important step visible.

Take action for your stakeholders

Once your SME has committed to the 2030 agenda, it is time to take action. Start by identifying which of the 17 sustainable development goals your SME can contribute to and also any business opportunities that may exist. This will mainly depend on the sector to which your SME belongs: a company in the construction sector may contribute more significantly to goal 9 ('Industry, innovation and infrastructure'), while a company in the agri-food sector may contribute more to goal 12 (‘’Responsible production and consumption’). However, all SMEs have the ability to contribute to some goals, such as goal 5 (‘Gender equality’) or 8 (‘Decent work and economic growth’).

Carry out awareness raising actions

It is important that your SME’s employees are aware of the 2030 Agenda and how they can contribute to it from your organisation. For this, it is advised that you carry out training actions on the SDGs for employees. Furthermore, in order to spread the message beyond your SME it is also important to raise awareness amongst other stakeholders, such as customers or suppliers. Some measures that you can carry out are:

• Clips and videos on the 2030 Agenda, both in general and specifically on some topics: Recycling (Goal 12), Energy saving (Goal 7), Gender equality (Goal 5), Health and well-being in the company (Goal 3), Climate change (Goal 13) or People with disabilities (Goal 10).
• Practical workshops on the 2030 Agenda so that each of the company’s employees understands the implications of their work on the SDGs.
• Key actions on international days that are celebrated by the United Nations. For example, June 5th is World Environment Day and March 8th is International Women's Day. On these days, your SME can carry out communication campaigns and/or voluntary actions on the theme that is commemorated. You can find every international day here: http://www.un.org/es/sections/observances/international-days/
• Raise awareness amongst customers through your SME’s products and services. For example, if your SME is dedicated to food you could include information about the 2030 Agenda in your products. If you have a business, you could hang posters up about the SDGs.

CREDIT YOUR COMMITMENT

You can also accede to an initiative or seal that helps you move forward and accredits your company's commitment to health, well-being and the reconciliation of its most important asset, its people.

Communicate your progress

The final step is to communicate the work that your SME does. The medium used most by companies is a sustainability report, where your SME’s general commitment and strategy to contribute to the SDGs is reflected. In the case of not having a report, you can use other means such as your corporate website or statements on social networks or in the media. The Global Compact could also help you with this point.