This document aims to breaks through the typically governmental and policy feel of the SDGs to provide a more relevant business context. In doing so, it should help companies ask the right questions to understand what actions and initiatives can be taken to collaborate in achieving the goals. It is very important to take a balanced view, i.e., consider where your company has both negative and positive impact. From there you can forge a strategy to tackle both areas. By taking this risks and opportunities approach, you will enable a more realistic analysis with which to secure the long-term future of your business. For more information, contact us: hello@higher-order-strategy.org

1. Higher Order Strategy
Inspiring holistic sustainable business practices for a thriving world
A Business Context
of the UN SDGs
www.higher-order-strategy.org
hello@higher-order-strategy.org
+49 152 267 85 855

2. To note
´ This is not an exhaustive list but should provide some initial areas to prompt
thoughts on how your company can play a role at the individual target and
indicator level, rather than simply stating an SDG alone.
´ Whilst at a national level these 17 goals must be tackled in unison with a holistic
approach, at a business level it is highly unlikely that one organisation can serve
them all. Here is where strategic inward reflection on your purpose, values and
ambition as a company will help you pin-point the areas in which you have the
best opportunity to support and prioritise high impact areas.
´ It is also very important to take a balanced view, i.e., consider where your
company has both negative and positive impact. From there you can forge a
strategy to tackle both areas. By taking this risks and opportunities approach,
you will enable a more realistic analysis with which to secure the long-term
future of your business.

3. SDG Objective Business Context for Consideration
1
End poverty in all its forms
everywhere
Are fair wages being paid across your supply chain?
Do your practices encourage or hinder development in poor or vulnerable
countries?
2 End hunger, achieve food security
and improved nutrition and promote
sustainable agriculture
If you are providing edible products do your practices ensure sustainable production that minimises
waste and optimises productivity (whilst also maintaining ecosystems - see 13).
Are your products supporting the nutrition of those who need it most?
3
Ensure healthy lives and promote
well-being for all at all ages
Are you minimising health and safety risks in your buildings?
Are you promoting mental health and well-being in your workplace?
What health issues are prevalent in your country/community and are you helping address these?
4
Ensure inclusive and equitable
quality education and promote
lifelong learning opportunities for all
Education for children and continuous learning for adults is crucial in providing opportunities and
enabling improvements within our societies. How is your business helping to equip its employees and
other stakeholders with skills and knowledge?
Are mechanisms in place to ensure opportunities are equal for different demographic groups?
Are any practices, particularly in developing nations, preventing children accessing schools. (e.g.,
child labour)
5
Achieve gender equality and
empower all women and girls
There is an increasing recognition of the systematic societal barriers for females as well as other
underrepresented gender groups. How is your company ensuring equal opportunities across all levels
of the business and protecting individuals against harmful discrimination?

4. SDG Objective Business Context for Consideration
6
Ensure availability and sustainable
management of water and
sanitation for all
How are you managing and increasing the efficient use of water in your processes and buildings
throughout the supply chain?
Where relevant what pollution via wastewater are you causing? How are you rectifying and
eliminating harmful practices over time?
7
Ensure access to affordable,
reliable, sustainable, and modern
energy for all
.
Are you on low-impact renewable energy contracts? How are you managing and improving
energy efficiency?
8
Promote sustained, inclusive, and
sustainable economic growth, full
and productive employment, and
decent work for all
How are you measuring and managing the level of productivity in your company?
What role does your business play in job creation and are you offering internships / vocational
training placements for young individuals?
Have you conducted a pay-gap analysis? Are living wages being paid?
Are you analysing ways to decouple business growth with environmental degradation?
How are you managing a safe and equitable place of work for all, being mindful of vulnerable
groups?
9
Build resilient infrastructure,
promote inclusive and sustainable
industrialization and foster
innovation
What mechanisms are in place to drive sustainable innovation and product development in your
company?
How are you upgrading infrastructure to be more environmentally sound?
How are you using technology to optimise and increase access?
How can you best support sustainable research and development activities in your sector?

5. SDG Objective Business Context for Consideration
10
Reduce inequality within
and among countries
This considers the fair distribution of progressive opportunities from the wealthy and powerful to those more
vulnerable and in need. Central elements are ethical governance, paying fair taxes and diversity, equity,
and inclusion (DEI).
What anti-corruption and tax strategies do you have in place and how do they impact the wider society?
What DEI strategy do you have in place?
How do your operations in developed countries potentially help or hinder developing states?
11 Make cities and human
settlements inclusive,
safe, resilient, and
sustainable
Considering your physical locations, how does your company behave to protect the local environment via
air quality and waste?
How can you contribute to enhancing the spaces and infrastructure open to your local community?
What is your relationship with transport systems? Think about how your teams use public infrastructure and
are there ways to encourage more environmentally friendly travel?
12
Ensure sustainable
consumption and
production patterns
Think about the full life cycle of your products.
How are you managing waste and ensuring the best utilisation of renewable / reusable natural resources?
Does your business model drive responsible and only necessary production and consumption or are you
creating unnecessary consumerism?
Are you conducting balanced sustainability reporting which addresses both negative and positive impacts?
How are you education customers and stakeholders on better consumption practices?
13
Take urgent action to
combat climate change
and its impacts
Have you conducted a systematic analysis on the impacts your operations have on the climate?
Do you measure and monitor your company emissions on an ongoing basis?
Where is your net zero strategy today and how are you performing against your targets?

6. SDG Objective Business Context for Consideration
14 Conserve and sustainably use the
oceans, seas and marine resources
for sustainable development
Do you know which of your business practices may impact marine life and how are you acting to
minimise and eliminate negative and increase positive effects?
Where relevant, what initiatives can your business support in the protection and regeneration of
the oceans?
Think about pollution including materials and harmful chemicals, biodiversity protection, fishing
practices, ocean acidification etc
15 Protect, restore and promote
sustainable use of terrestrial
ecosystems, sustainably manage
forests, halt & reverse land
degradation and biodiversity loss
Do you know which of your business practices may impact on-land habitats and how are you
acting to minimise and eliminate negative and increase positive effects?
Where relevant, what initiatives can your business support in the protection and regeneration on
land?
Think about polluting, sustainable forestry, land / soil degradation and regeneration, biodiversity
protection.
16 Promote peaceful & inclusive
societies for sustainable
development, provide access to
justice for all and build effective,
accountable, and inclusive
institutions
Think about human rights throughout your business operations. How is your company ensuring the
elimination of violence, abuse, and exploitation?
How are you managing the avoidance of bribery and corruption both directly in the business and
indirectly through external stakeholders? Do you state a clear position and conduct due
diligence?
How does your governance ensure accountability and transparency?
17 Strengthen the means of
implementation and revitalize the
global partnership for sustainable
development
In what ways is your company collaborating with national and international states and entities, as
well as other businesses in your sector or community to drive sustainable development, both
locally as well as reaching underdeveloped people and nations?
Taxes are an explicit target for distributing finances. Technology is also mentioned in terms of
sharing knowledge and fostering sustainable innovation.

7. Viewing targets & indicators
Visit the UN SDG website and navigate to the more detailed section by
clicking on the relevant SDG tile and then the ‘targets and indicators’ tab