UN SDGs: Disruptive for Companies and for Universities?

The global consensus on the UN SDGsSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a significant progress in the debate on sustainableSustainable developmentSustainable development , which started more than four decades ago (with the Brundtland ReportBrundtland Report 1987 as a milestone). This comprehensive Agenda 2030 specifies the vision about “the future we want”. Ending extreme povertyPoverty , stopping climate change and the loss of biodiversityBiodiversity will fundamentally change economic framework conditions and will be disruptive for many industries and companies. In the absence of a global governmentGovernment successful implementation of the SDGs is only possible with a concept of shared responsibility: Not only government policy but also the contribution of all stakeholder groupsStakeholder groups is necessary. In this article the (potential) roles of companies and of universities are addressed. The focus is on analyzing the impact of two UN-related organizationsOrganizations —the UN Global CompactUN Global Compact (UN GC) and PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education)Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) —on the engagement of these two stakeholdersStakeholders respectively. Although these impacts are hard to quantify and might be very limited, the approach to publicly take ownership, to advocate and to organize support for the SDGsSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implementation can stimulate voluntaryVoluntary activities of companies as well as of universities and make a differenceDifferences —not always “disruptive” but as part of a continuous improvement process. Such voluntaryVoluntary activities are not a substitute for government activity nor should they be an alibi for governmentGovernment inactivity. Rather both stakeholderStakeholders groups should cooperate e.g. in advocating for reliable national sustainableSustainable developmentSustainable development strategies.