Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

Let’s be honest here, if you are a Malaysian business owner, chances are your businesses have suffered some sort of losses or you may have been forced to innovate to reduce cost of production or spend extra exploring new marketing opportunities. The SDGs are one of those opportunities;

Be a leader, not a lagger – Yes, it may be painstaking at first, but the SDGs actually present a lot of opportunities only if you adapt them efficiently. Resources like the SDG Compass will help point you to the right direction. You can also hire agencies to help you with the transformation.

The SDGs provide a powerful aspiration for improving our world – laying out where we collectively need to go and how to get there. Responsible businesses and investments will be essential to achieving this transformational change.

With trillions of dollars in public and private investments expected to redirect towards achieving the SDGs, there is an enormous opportunity for responsible companies in the coming years.

Your consumers are a lot smarter than they were. With access to information so easily available, a growing breed of more informed consumers are on the rise.

A global survey recently conducted found that consumers and investors are better informed than ever before – and they want businesses to take responsibility for the pressure our planet and its population are under.

There is growing understanding – especially by business leaders and investors ahead of the curve – that it is not enough for companies to concern themselves only with short-term profits because natural disasters, social unrest or economic disparity can damage long-term prosperity.

Arguably the most important asset of any organisation is its employees. The brightest and the smartest are aware of unsustainable, old business practices that do not longer serve the benefit of the people. The talent war is a real thing, and having a transparent and sustainable system in place will attract great talent to your organisation.

More than 50% of millennials say they would take a pay cut to find work that matches their values, while 90% want to use their skills for good.

Bain & Company recently surveyed about 750 employees across industries in Brazil, China, India, Germany, the UK, and the U.S. Roughly two-thirds of respondents said they care more about sustainability now than three years ago, with almost that many saying sustainable business is extremely important to them.

If you’re not convinced already, since 2016 there has been increasing government and intergovernmental regulations and deregulations to incorporate SDGs in policy making.

In October 2015, Bursa Malaysia launched a new Sustainability Framework, comprising amendments to the Listing Requirements and the issuance of a Sustainable Reporting Guide and Toolkit. The guide highlights sustainability reporting requirements for Malaysian-based public listed companies.

This is an initial step in the right direction by the Bursa to incorporate sustainable development in Malaysian Businesses and also a statement of intent that highlights a wider range of success indicators which looks beyond just the profit and loss model.