Pivotal to these issues are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)... However, only a small handful of companies have so far managed to develop credible and meaningful approaches that don’t feel superficial or tokenistic... [Companies should see] the SDGs as a ‘materiality framework’; identifying the local development challenges that pose material risks to their business and becoming proactive agents of change.

For example, food and agriculture companies sourcing commodities from countries like Indonesia or Paraguay, are unequivocally exposed to illegal deforestation and land tenure conflicts in their supply chains... Only a very small number of multinationals have taken the bold step of managing land tenure risks by helping communities secure their land titles. However this is the right strategic choice...

Similarly, in much of the African continent, high unemployment rates are pushing governments to impose high ‘local content’ requirements...- a demand businesses see as a risk to projects and a short sighted way to promote jobs... Helping governments to create employment on a greater scale, for example by supporting SME development and using their procurement channels to support local enterprises, must be a priority for these companies...