Today’s business landscape is characterised by an unprecedented, accelerating and complex mix of risks and opportunities. Your entire market can be disrupted in a short time by innumerable factors, be it a new technology or a sudden lack of natural resources. New markets are emerging rapidly due to megatrends such as population growth, resource scarcity, or global health risks. Meanwhile, consumers and investors are better informed than ever before – and they want businesses to take responsibility for the pressure our planet and its population are under.

In 2015, the UK Government joined every other country worldwide and committed to Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and through it the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Goals provide a holistic framework that defines our global priorities and aspirations for 2030 – laying out where we collectively need to go. The UN Global Compact supports companies with how to get there – by taking a Principles-based approach which ensures that business actions are in accordance with the Ten Principles of the Global Compact and their universal standards of conduct.

It is clear that the SDGs not only identify where we have to be in 2030, but they also outline new markets and opportunities for companies all over the world. Achieving the Goals requires an unprecedented effort across all aspects of society – and business sits at the heart of it.