Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are international indicators to achieve a better world. It was adopted by the United Nations Summit in 2015 and is part of The 2030 Agenda For Sustainable Development. The slogan of the SDGs is “no one on the earth gets left behind.” The SDGs comprise 17 goals and 169 targets, and initiatives are underway globally to achieve them.
Throughout the 20th Century, the priority to economic activities that companies took created widening gaps between the rich and the poor. The protection of the global environment has also become an urgent issue. Under these circumstances, SDGs function as a banner for future companies to create a better society through business. Japanese companies are also working on various initiatives for this purpose.
However, the prospects of achieving 17 goals of the SDGs by 2030 are diminishing year by year. It has been estimated that the goals will not be achieved until 2092 at their current pace. (https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXMZO64185850U0A920C2I00000/)
There have been environmental changes arising from excessive economic and technological developments, going over the “planetary boundary,” which is the boundary humans can live safely. With the survival of our civilization at stake, there was a need to increase the momentum to achieve SDGs more than ever before.