The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were launched in 2015. In 2018, the Antwerp Management School, the University of Antwerp and UCLouvain took the initiative to develop the first SDG Barometer to measure the adoption of the SDGs in Belgium, with the support of the Federal Institute for Sustainable Development (IFDD).
But what about the integration of the SDGs in Belgian organizations today? Do awareness and implementation initiatives help achieve the SDGs? And how did organizations progress compared with 2 years ago?
Highlights
-
Nearly all organizations (98%) pay at least some attention to sustainability. Compared with the SDG Barometer 2018, a considerably smaller percentage of organizations now appears unaware of the SDGs (9%).
-
The most important driving forces for adopting SDGs appear to be complying with societal expectations, reducing social and environmental risks, and showing respect for the communities in which organizations operate.
-
Different types of organizations perceive different SDGs as important. Companies perceive SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth), SDG 3 (Good health and well-being), and SDG 9 (Industry, innovation, and infrastructure) as the most relevant. Both companies and governments deem SDG 2 (Zero hunger) the least relevant SDG. SDG 14 (Life below water) is at the bottom for all types of organizations when it comes to relevance.