"Walking the Talk: Assessing companies' progress from SDG rhetoric to action"

Business has the potential to play a key role in helping society to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)... [Yet]... our analysis outlines five core concerns:

• Companies display no consistent approach to determining their priority SDGs. SDG priorities appear to mirror companies’ existing sustainability priorities instead of being shaped by a robust analysis of companies’ impact on the SDGs...
• The SDGs have not substantially changed companies’ approach to corporate sustainability...
• Companies have not significantly augmented the ambition of their sustainability strategies as a result of engaging with the SDGs...
• Few companies are marrying their human rights commitment with their ambition to contribute to the SDGs...
• Reporting on the SDGs is limited despite receiving significant attention from companies...

We hold that meaningful business action on the SDGs requires a more holistic and ambitious approach that goes beyond ‘business as usual’. This starts with companies re-examining their social purpose and impact, changing the performance goals and incentive structures of the business and employees, and considering wider stakeholder concerns (including those of affected communities or women in value chains, for example) in business analysis and decision making.