The 2020 Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals: Stories and insights through innovative visuals

The World Bank published the 2020 Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on November 16, 2020. This Atlas outlines the United Nations SDGs through interactive storytelling and innovative data visualizations.

Expanding Understanding of Key Trends

The goal of the SDGs is to address the world’s greatest challenges such as eliminating poverty, eradicating hunger, expanding access to education, achieving gender equality, and addressing the climate crisis.

The Atlas aims to expand understanding of key SDG indicators and trends, which is important for measuring progress and directing action. The 2020 edition seeks new and creative ways to expand understanding of each of the 17 goals.

Collective Insights

The 2020 Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals builds insights from data scientists, statisticians, and subject specialists from the World Bank, including a talented team of data visualization designers. In addition, the Atlas collaborates with partner countries and UN agencies in monitoring the SDGs and improving measurement.

Storytelling through Creative Visuals

The 2020 Atlas explores each SDG target and highlights trends that show achievement towards the SDGs. Additionally, the atlas shows readers how a few of the SDGS are measured. The chapters also highlight the recent emerging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the indicators and trends presented in the atlas.

Visuals and data in the Atlas are drawn from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators and showcases new data from scientists and researchers around the globe.

Each chapter in the Atlas provides readers with an interactive experience. For instance, in the chapter on SDG 3 (Good health and well-being) readers are introduced to a visual that allows them to easily see the trend in measles immunization within an income group and in each individual country over 40 years.

The chapter on SDG 14, which covers life below water, the world map highlights oceans making it easy to see the distribution of endangered marine life, such as corals.

Originally published on the World Bank on November 16, 2020. You can read more here.

Gillette Sets New Sustainability Target to Reduce Emissions and Virgin Plastic Usage by 50% by 2030

Personal care brand, Gillette, has committed to halving the amount of virgin, fossil-based plastics used and to halving absolute emissions by 2030. These sustainability targets are an addition to their current sustainable strategy.                 

Reduction of Virgin Plastic Usage

Gillette pledged to use 50% less virgin, fossil-based plastics in packaging and products than it did in 2018. The company was able to poll 5,500 men across its 11 main markets by collaborating with research firm Lucid and found that 58% view plastic waste as a very important issue.

Gillette will work to make its designs more resource-efficient and increase its sourcing of plastic-free materials, bio-based plastics and recycled plastics to meet the new target. The company has launched UK’s first nationwide recycling scheme for razors and blades, as part of a partnership with recycling firm TerraCycle. This initiative is currently implemented in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand. Gillette will promote this scheme further to source more recycled content. Currently, they have set up more than 21,000 recycling locations.

The strategy also includes new ambitions to achieve zero-waste-to-landfill status at all of Gillette’s sites and to reduce the company’s water consumption related to production by 35% by 2030.

Climate Action

In addition to Gillette’s pledge to use 50% less virgin, fossil-based plastics, it has also set a new climate target to halve absolute emissions by 2030 from a 2018 baseline. Since 2010, Gillette has cut down its Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (power-related) emissions by more than 26%.

Gillette plans to switch to 100% renewable energy globally, mainly through tariffs, renewable energy certificates (RECs) and power purchase agreements (PPAs). The company will also update the remit of its energy task force teams. Currently, there is one team at each major site, and they are tasked with spotting areas for improving energy efficiency and increasing decarbonization.

The article was published originally by the Edie Network (November, 2020). You can read more here.

Chevron’s Partnership with Kazakhstan Fuels Economic Growth and Community Development

Chevron is proud of its partnership with the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) to advance American leadership in international affairs, and through the Global Impact Project, share the story of how businesses, NGOs, foundations, and universities are partnering with the U.S. government to address global challenges – creating lasting impact abroad and in the United States.

Chevron is particularly honored to have its long-standing partnership with Kazakhstan featured in this year’s report, highlighting the company’s contributions to global development by fueling economic growth and supporting local communities through investments in education, social, and health infrastructure for lasting social impact. Learn more here and by reading the below:

Tapping the Potential

Kazakhstan is home to an abundance of oil and gas reserves— the 2nd largest in Central Asia and the 11th largest in the world.

But after gaining independence in 1991, Kazakhstan faced challenges in developing, producing, and exporting these natural resources. At the same time, the country was in the process of building up its economy after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Powerful Partnerships

In 1993, Chevron became the first international oil company to enter Kazakhstan through its 50 percent interest in Tengizchevroil (TCO).

In this 40-year joint venture agreement, Chevron is partnering with the Republic of Kazakhstan and other oil companies to develop key resources, including the Tengiz oil field— one of the world’s deepest supergiant oil fields— to provide stable, reliable crude oil production. Through TCO, Chevron is also adding to Kazakhstan’s economy by supporting thousands of local jobs, using local goods and services, and investing in the national workforce.

Since inception, $2 billion has been invested into social infrastructure and numerous health, education, and sustainability initiatives for local communities in nearby Atyrau, including STEM education, teacher training, environmental conservation, and entrepreneurship programs. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chevron and TCO’s contributions have expanded to include crisis response and significant relief efforts across Kazakhstan.

Impact

For almost 30 years, Chevron has helped to drive economic growth in Kazakhstan through the TCO partnership.

Over this period, as the country’s largest foreign investor, Chevron has contributed over $148 billion to the country’s economy, including $34 billion invested in Kazakhstani goods and services, and created thousands of jobs in the country— 80 percent of which are filled by local employees. Professional training programs continue to develop the skills and knowledge of TCO’s employees, as well as Kazakhstani companies who partner on TCO projects, helping to build Kazakhstan’s capacity and capability.

Through TCO and powerful partnerships, Chevron is not only helping Kazakhstan as a global energy leader, they are changing lives and unlocking the potential of people across the country.

Read the full story here.