“SDGs” can be seen in various media. However, some people may be confused because they don’t understand the way they read it.
In particular, the last S is difficult to understand, and some people say they have trouble reading it.
Therefore, this time we will carefully explain the basic concept and content of the SDGs, as well as their relationship with marketing.
First, let’s start with how to read it.
“SDGs” is pronounced “SDGs.”
The last S is hard to tell just by looking at that part, but it’s actually a set of Gs, which stands for “Golds.”
Now, let’s look at the whole thing again.
SDGs is an abbreviation that stands for “Sustainable Development Goals.”
Its meaning is introduced as “Sustainable Development Goals”.
What is the history and basic concept of “SDGs”?
When and where were “SDGs” decided?
First of all, why are “sustainable development goals” so important in each country?
The time goes back to the Industrial Revolution.
Until then, human progress had been gradual, but since the Industrial Revolution, various fields have rapidly developed all over the world.
Many new inventions have come to fruition through technological innovation, including in the economic field, and humanity’s standard of living has gradually increased.
However, contradictory facts also surface.
This is because, with development, the resources of the earth, the place where humans live, were being depleted.
Many negative effects have also become apparent.
As a result, a number of voices have begun to point out the crisis in global sustainability.
In response to these points, the first proposal was made in 1972.
That was 50 years ago.
Meadows et al. of the MIT Institute of Technology will present “The Limits to Growth.”
It was stated that if the current situation continues as it is, global economic growth will reach its limit within 100 years.
It was predicted that the earth’s resources would be exhausted due to development that ignored the future.
Fifteen years later, in 1987, a report by the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission) was published.
Surprisingly, at this point in time, the concept of “aiming for sustainable development for the planet” has been proposed in “Our Common Future.”
It is said that some researchers and experts around the world are already issuing such warnings, with an increasing number of them feeling a strong sense of crisis about the future of the Earth.
The turning point was the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000.
The important Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs for short, were adopted in 2001.
This is said to be a combination of the United Nations Millennium Declaration announced at this summit and the international development goals adopted at international conferences in the 1990s.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are development goals for developing countries that have been set as a deadline of 2015.
The member countries pledged to work toward eight goals: (1) poverty and hunger, (2) primary education, (3) women, (4) infants, (5) pregnant women, (6) disease, (7) the environment, and (8) solidarity.
Although the MDGs achieved certain results, challenges remain.
Specifically, (1) poverty and hunger have been halved, and (6) effective results have been achieved in the fight against diseases such as HIV and malaria.
However, it has not been possible to reduce the mortality rates of (4) infants and (5) pregnant and nursing mothers, and there have been differences between regions.
As a successor to the MDGs, this year’s theme is the SDGs, a new form that integrates the environment, economy, and society.
It is an initiative that aims to solve major global issues that are approaching, such as poverty, conflict, terrorism, climate change, and resource depletion.
It was unanimously adopted at the United Nations Summit in September 2015 and is included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Even now, countries around the world are formulating policies based on this concept.
The keyword of “SDGs” is “leaving no one behind”
The deadline for achieving the SDGs is 2030.
The keyword is “leaving no one behind.” Specifically, 17 international goals have been established, under which 169 targets and 232 indicators have been determined in detail.
Here are 17 international goals.
1. End all forms of poverty everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture
3.Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all people at all ages
4. Provide inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote innovation
10. Correcting inequalities within and between countries
11. Achieve inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements
12.Ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns
13. Take urgent measures to reduce climate change and its impacts
14. Conserve and sustainably use oceans and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize global partnerships for sustainable development
There have been various international goals in the past.
However, this time’s SDGs have a major feature.
This means that it is impossible to achieve this through the efforts of developing countries alone, as has been the case in the past.
In order to realize a sustainable, diverse, and inclusive society, developed countries themselves needed something “universal” that they needed to work on themselves.
Another characteristic of the initiative is that it called for efforts not only by the government but also by private companies to address issues faced by developed countries.
This is an era in which huge companies such as GAFA, which are comparable in size to the GDP of a single country, are born.
They are seeking cooperation not only from the government but also from private companies, and are taking a stance of aiming for goals on a global scale.
Why do “SDGs” influence marketing?
So far, I have briefly explained the concept and explanation of SDGs.
Why is this idea of SDGs necessary for marketing?
In fact, the required business models have changed significantly since the SDGs were adopted.
Until now, the mainstream idea was to return a portion of a company’s profits to society.
Some companies still view “CSR” (Corporate Social Responsibility) in this way.
However, the SDGs emphasize sustainability.
It is not just the return of profits, but also whether the company’s activities themselves meet the requirements of sustainability.
However, just volunteering is not enough.
Do the company’s economic activities themselves meet the 17 goals, such as contributing to the improvement of the global environment?
This business model is now being chosen by consumers as well.
In addition, unprecedented innovation is expected in order to achieve the goals by 2030.
The market size is estimated to be as high as 12 trillion dollars.
Japan also established the SDGs Promotion Headquarters in May 2016, with the Prime Minister as the head and the ministers of state as members.
Under this banner, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is inviting public applications for the “Japan SDGs Award,” so don’t miss the big messages it sends to society.
At the first Japan SDGs Awards, ITO EN Co., Ltd., Saraya Co., Ltd., and Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. received the SDGs Promotion Deputy Director’s Award.
Receiving awards in these categories improves a company’s image and helps it gain support from consumers.
That is why when looking to the future of a company, the first step is to look at the SDGs. It can be said that we must keep this concept in mind when drawing up a blueprint for the future.
Is backcasting the key to working toward the SDGs?
So how should companies tackle the SDGs?
Let me introduce two ideas here.
・Forecasting
How to use the current situation as a starting point to think about what improvements can be made
・Backcasting
How to consider measures by starting from the ideal future and working backwards from there.
There are two methods that differ greatly in the direction of the time series arrow, but the recommended method is “backcasting.”
Here’s the exact reason.
This is because it is possible to make “big changes” rather than just making improvements.
This is because if we take the current situation as a starting point, we will inevitably consider only methods of improvement based on the resources we currently have.
Even if method A is excellent, since the current situation is the starting point, we will focus on feasibility and reach a conclusion.
Therefore, even if you come up with a great idea or proposal, there is a risk that it will be rejected.
However, in the case of backcasting, we first decide on the future vision and what the future should be, without considering the current resources.
In order to achieve this, we will not be able to achieve it with just a simple improvement plan; we will take a bolder step toward destroying existing methods and searching for new ones.
For this reason, it is easy to call it “change”, which is a major fundamental change rather than an improvement.
If corporate goals have traditionally been set with an emphasis on corporate profits, the values themselves will likely change significantly based on the Sustainable Development Goals.
In other words, it can be said that “improvement” alone, which is an extension of past methods, is not enough.
Society itself is moving towards the SDGs “Sustainable Development Goals”.
Although some companies still value traditional thinking, this attitude will likely be seen as outdated in the future.
Also, if all companies steer in the same direction, the novelty and freshness will gradually disappear.
However, at the moment, there are still not that many companies that are aware of the SDGs. Why not take this opportunity to reconsider your company’s indicators?
summary
◆ SDGs is an abbreviation for “Sustainable Development Goals” and was adopted in 2015 as a “sustainable development goal.”
The keyword is “leaving no one behind”
◆ Business models in which a company’s economic activities themselves match the SDGs will be chosen by consumers.
◆ Backcasting is recommended to pursue sustainable development goals