Business, Sustainability and Agenda 2030

Abstract

Business has a vital role to play in achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals. This article outlines and explores a multidimensional, research-based concept of sustainability that serves to secure social foundations and mitigate pressures on planetary boundaries, in the context of European Union action to promote the contribution of business to achieving the SDGs. This understanding of sustainability and of the risks of unsustainability provides the basis for interpreting the SDGs in a way that allows their implementation to promote a ‘sustainable development’. Transitioning towards sustainability accordingly requires innovative policy and regulatory responses, informed by transdisciplinary dialogues and transnational perspectives, to achieve a transformation of business.

Keywords: SDGs, planetary boundaries, social foundations, climate, human rights, decent work, risks, corporate governance, finance, banking, circular economy, European Union, EU law, corporate sustainability, reporting, due diligence, global value chains