UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed Welcomes the Private Sector COVID-19 Global Facility During Forum

The Sustainable Development Goals Business Forum was held on Monday, September 21 at the United Nations Global Compact Private Sector Forum, where on the occasion of UN75 (the 75th anniversary of the United Nations) over 100 CEOs from over 100 countries signed a statement of support for renewed global cooperation.

During the closing of the forum, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed thanked the International Chamber of Commerce, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the United Nations Global Compact for bringing the private sector together during this challenging time.

With COVID-19 wreaking havoc in every corner of the world, Amina Mohammed stated that this is a critical time to discuss lasting solutions for a more sustainable future, in line with Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

In order to quicken the process of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, Amina Mohamed stated “we must go further, faster” and welcomed the Private Sector COVID-19 Global Facility during the Forum.  Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed explained that the Private Sector COVID-19 Global Facility was launched by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Global Compact and the International Chamber of Commerce to focus on public-private as well as private-private cooperation to discover new possibilities for sustainable growth.

Amina Mohammed closed the Sustainable Development Goals Business Forum by stating, “More than ever before, we need solidarity, hope and the political will to see this crisis through together.  We have the knowledge, capacity and innovation needed.  If we are ambitious enough, we can gather the full complement of resources required to implement the Sustainable Development Goals successfully.  Let us rise to meet the moment.”

To read the original press release, click here.

PepsiCo plans to source 100% renewable electricity worldwide by 2030

Originally published by the Beverage Daily on September 21, 2020

Currently, PepsiCo acquires renewable electricity in 18 countries, with 9 of these, including Greece, Poland, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom, already meeting 100% of the electricity demand from renewable sources. PepsiCo United States is also aiming to achieve 100% renewable energy for its direct operations this year.  

By the end of 2020, PepsiCo will source 56% of its electricity worldwide through renewable sources. To increase the usage of renewable energy, the corporation is including Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) which support development of new projects (e.g. solar and wind farms) around the world. The enterprise  is also setting up onsite wind and solar projects at its facilities worldwide, such as rooftop solar energy panels on their global headquarters.

The company has also joined an initiative, RE100, which includes 255 members that are committed to achieve the same goal of sourcing 100% renewable electricity worldwide by 2030. PepsiCo has additionally joined other leading companies in committing to set science-based emissions reduction targets in line with limiting global warming to 1.5°C, while also creating a long-term strategy that plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

 “We know the responsibility that comes with our size and scale, so transitioning PepsiCo’s global business operations to 100% renewable electricity is the right step forward to deliver meaningful impact as we continue to advance our sustainability agenda,” stated PepsiCo’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Jim Andrew.

To read more about Pepsi’s pledge to renewable electricity, please click here.

Walmart cut 230 million tons of emissions

Walmart has cut 230 million metric tons of greenhouse gases out of its supply chain with supplier help in the past three years. The retailer is now on track to reduce its cumulative carbon footprint by a billion tons by the end of 2030.

In 2019, the company released 18 million metric tons of greenhouse gases across its own operations within roughly 12,000 stores, known as Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Those don’t include suppliers’ emissions, called Scope 3, which account for most greenhouse pollutants in the supply chain.[DG1]  However, Walmart has been successfully able to maintain these cuts by shifting towards the usage of clean energy and environmentally friendly product design and packaging.

About 29 per cent of Walmart’s electricity now comes from renewable sources. Kathleen McLaughlin, the company’s chief sustainability officer, expects that figure to hit 35 per cent by the end of the year.

The company has been shifting to more sustainable packaging as packaging waste has become a top priority amongst increasing pressure from investors as well as customers. They are utilizing more reusable and refillable packaging models and are supporting supplier efforts through Walmart-created playbooks  about alternative materials or more sustainable plastic options.

As part of this shift, Walmart is identifying ways to eliminate gratuitous packaging. For instance, their trash cans were once packaged in cardboard boxes. However, they can now just be banded together. Their reusable bag sales have also been up 42% globally.

Read the original article here or visit their website for a more detailed breakdown on their environmental highlights.

New United Nations Online Platform To Promotes Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development

On Wednesday, July 15, 2020, the United Nations launched a new online platform to promote science, technology and innovation for sustainable development. The Connect 2030 Agenda for Global Telecommunication/ICT Development aims to provide policy makers, practitioners, students, members of civil society and other stakeholders access to information on science, technology and innovation facilitation initiatives and policies.

The Connect 2030 Agenda for Global Telecommunication/ICT Development is supported by the collaboration of 43 UN agencies under the Inter-Agency Task Team(IATT) and the multi-stakeholder group of 10 experts appointed by the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, as part of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism.

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Connect 2030 platform seeks to align under five strategic goals:

1. Growth

2. Inclusiveness

3. Sustainability

4. Innovation

5. Partnership

These are the goals the ITU reviews:

Strengthening the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to accelerate the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Raising awareness of the importance of connectivity, as well as specific ICT-enabled solutions and emerging trends for fostering economic, environmental and social sustainability.

Increasing the usage of ICTs, including a view from the demand side. Reducing the Digital Divide between countries and within countries, taking also into consideration the need to reduce the Digital Gender Divide.

Enhancing collaboration by sharing the experiences in implementing the “Connect 2030 Agenda” to reflect on the ICTs advances for transition to smart and sustainable development.

Highlighting the work of the ICT sector by inviting the ITU membership (including ITU Member States, Sector Members, Associates, SMEs and Academia) to celebrate this day by adopting the Connect 2030 Agenda and considering achieving its goals in their daily activities.

The online platform will be a new starting point for feedback and support for stakeholders interested in initiatives and policies.

For more information on the Connect 2030 online platform, please visit: https://tfm2030connect.un.org/

Overview and Highlights: The 2020 Sustainable Development Report

Originally published by International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

On 30 June 2020, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) released the 2020 edition of the Sustainable Development Report which tracks the performance of all UN Member States on the 17 SDGs, measuring the distance remaining to achieve each target.

Written by lead author Jeffrey Sachs and a team of independent experts, the Sustainable Development Report annual report is one of several SDG assessment reports that are released annually prior to the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) meeting in July.

The report includes an SDG index which illuminates progress towards each SDG since 2015 up until COVID-19 emerged. It also includes interactive dashboards to visually represent countries’ performances by SDG.

This year’s report specifically focuses on the impact COVID-19 has brought upon the Sustainable Development Goals. Key report findings on 25 June 2020 reveal that COVID-19 is negatively affecting the following goals: SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities).

While the pandemic has negatively affected these goals, it has also brought some “immediate relief” in the following SDGS: SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 14 (life below water), and SDG 15 (life of land).

The report presented other key findings such as the effectiveness of OECD countries’ early responses to COVID-19 and negative “spillover” effects generated by high-income countries. The report additionally highlighted information on country-level and regional findings on SDG progress which indicate that:

• All regions have made progress in the SDG index since 2015. East and South Asia have progressed the most

• At the country level, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Cambodia progressed most

• Venezuela, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo regressed most, which the report attributes to conflicts and other economic and social reasons

• The greatest progress has been towards SDGs 1 and 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure).The least progress has been seen against SDGs 2 and 15.

For more information on the 2020 edition of the report, click here.

To read the SDSN report in detail, click here.

New platform to ensure capital flows to support Paris Agreement

Originally published by Reuters Events™

At Ethical Corporation’s recent Virtual Responsible Business Week Steve Waygood, chief responsible investment officer at Aviva, shared the new International Platform for Climate Finance, bringing together central bankers, finance ministers and CEOs from some of the largest finance institutions for the first time

With more than 50 governors of central banks, finance ministers, and CEOs from leading financial institutions, members of the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance, the proposed new platform will work together to mobilise the $1tn in new investment capital that will be required every year for the next 15 years to put the world on the path for a net-zero transition, Waygood says in his 15-minute presentation.

He points out that there is no lack of political will to tackle climate change, nor is there a dearth of finance, with $400m in assets under management around the globe. There is also a good understanding of the science behind climate change and what will be required to get to net-zero.

"What is lacking is a series of capital-raising plans to raise the money and deploy it [both] at national level and internationally in a coordinated way so markets support the Paris agreement rather than undermine it, as they do at the moment." 

Read the original article here.

usaid Resource: Private Sector Engagement (PSE) Evidence Gap Map

Originally published by USAID

The “Evidence Gap Map” refers to an interactive visual matrix created by United States Agency of International Development (USAID), Purdue University and Notre Dame University. The Evidence Gap Map could just as easily be called the “Evidence Map”, meaning that it is a visual representation of existing evidence, using a matrix of USAID’s conceptualization of PSE means and value propositions that both the private sector and development actors offer. The hope is that compiling this evidence in one place with a number of filter and search features will help facilitate the use of evidence.

The “gap” in the title is referring to understanding where there is good evidence in the matrix and where there are holes in our knowledge base and understanding. As users interact with the evidence gap map and the filters, they will be able to visually see where there is knowledge and where additional investments in research and evaluation might be warranted to further build the evidence base. This is also an opportunity to collaborate with our team as well as alert us to any evidence we may have missed.

The map was designed for a primary audience of USAID technical staff and program designers. Secondary intended audiences include USAID implementing partner staff and private sector employees seeking to engage in development work.

For more information regarding the project, please see here. To take part in contributing to the research, a submission form can be entered here.

Read the original article here. 

the role of business in overcoming the coronavirus

Originally published by Business Fights Poverty

The WHO has confirmed novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as pandemic. What is the role of business in tackling coronavirus? Responsible marketing, securing supplies, safeguarding employees, building resilience? What does it mean for the social impact programmes they support?

Business Fights Poverty is launching an urgent process to gather together views and insights to guide action.

The process is being supported by AB InBev and delivered in partnership with the United States Council for International Business.  The work will be lead by Myriam Sidibe, renowned handwashing expert, Senior Fellow, Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School and Author of “Brands on a Mission: How to Achieve Social Impact and Business Growth Through Purpose".

Read the original article here.

The Japan times raises awareness of the sdgS

Published in The Japan Times on Monday, Feb. 10, 2020
Written by Ms. Sasaki

The United Nations has called on major media outlets to join the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Media Compact and cooperate to increase participation in achieving the SDGs. The Japan Times signed an agreement with the United Nations to participate in the SDG Media Compact on Jan. 28, 2020 and will therefore continue to work as a media to resolve 17 issues of the SDG, such as poverty, climate change and hunger.

Read the original article here.

Coca-cola Announces $11 million partnership with benioff ocean initiative on river plastic prevention programs

Published in BusinessWire on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020
Written by Business Wire Staff

Nine river clean-up programs across the world have been selected to receive a total of $11 million over the next three years as part of a unique partnership between The Coca-Cola Foundation and the Benioff Ocean Initiative at the University of California Santa Barbara’s Marine Science Institute. Read the original article here.

A Vision for Business to Accelerate Progress on the SDGs

Published in CSR wire on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020

Business and policy representatives from around the world have shared their views on the changes needed to ensure companies can actively contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and how reporting and partnerships supports this process.

Read the original article here.

20 cORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPIONS FOR 2020

Published in GreenBiz on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020
Written by Elsa Wenzel

As climate change impacts make themselves known ahead of scientific forecasts and national governments fail to lead, more business leaders are stepping up in unprecedented ways. They’re not just signing petitions but building lasting alliances across business, policy and activism, aligning on binding, science-based commitments toward sustainability. The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a useful focusing agent.

These 20 corporate leaders are embracing the opportunity to lead their companies in sustainability long beyond the next quarter. Read the original article here.

177 companies have pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050

Published in IISD on Tuesday, Dece. 17, 2019
Written by Catherine Benson Wahlén

As part of the campaign on ‘Business Ambition for 1.5°C — Our Only Future,’ 177 companies have pledged to set emissions reductions targets that align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and reaching net-zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2050. This doubles the number of signatories that have committed to such action since the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019, when the first companies announced their commitment. Read the original article here.