The Sustainability Goals and Relevance for Business

Owing to the perishing effects over resources, fast pacing world has ordered the mushrooming effects of global sustainability standards by international organizations. Hitting conventional processes and resolving to improvisations has become the prime agenda for nations and companies. But why is it required to have a set of standards for our modern societies and businesses or for the leaders to change their spectacular way of function and enter the ‘CHANGE’?
Modern society problems or the grand challenges like climate change, economic development, migration, or human rights, can be hardly addressed at the domestic level, and therefore we need international organizations to tackle them and to orchestrate the action of countries. Such voluntary standards, involving multi-stakeholder like governments, companies, civil society, and individuals have been formed after lengthy consultation and negotiation. These are called Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The global standards being more than sustainability-oriented are issue-specific or vertical such as business and human rights or business and children's rights. Business human rights involve how responsibility is conceived and attributed, thus follows the three-pronged approach of protect, respect, and remedy.
Global standards represent a crucial development in the collective ability to harmonize corporate behavior towards sustainability and across countries, thus, making these vital. However, it is expected to catch initial apprehensions and vulnerabilities by companies and policymakers, and especially small businesses. But perhaps it may be considered the only game in town soon and it is of paramount importance that businesses pay serious attention and include such standards in their way of function and delivery. Mapping companies’ institutional landscape accordingly can fetch both legal and social license to operate and long-term economic returns.
Following are the 17 international sustainable goals:
Goal 1   : No Poverty
Goal 2   : Zero Hunger
Goal 3   : Good Health and Well-Being
Goal 4   : Quality Education
Goal 5   : Gender Equality
Goal 6   : Clean Water and Sanitation
Goal 7   : Affordable and Clean Energy
Goal 8   : Decent Work and Economic Growth
Goal 9   : Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Goal 10 : Reduced Inequality
Goal 11 : Sustainable Cities and Communities
Goal 12 : Responsible Consumption and Production
Goal 13 : Climate Action
Goal 14 : Life Below Water
Goal 15 : Life On Land
Goal 16 : Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
Goal 17 : Partnerships to Achieve the Goal

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India has issued 9 standards 2021 for sustainability. These goals comprise the essence of 17 UN goals and Millennium sustainable Goals 2000. These are:

1. Integrity, Ethics, Transparency, Accountability
2. Safe and sustainable goods and stakeholders
3. Well-being of employees
4. Respect and Responsiveness to all stakeholders
5. Respect and Promote Human rights
6. Respect, Protect, and Restore the environment
7. Responsible and transparent policy advocacy
8. Promote inclusive growth and Equitable development
9. Provide value to consumer responsibly