Achieving the goals of sustainable development is everyone's business, but how to convince others?

The United Kingdom is performing well for only a quarter of all targets, and the serious problems of poverty and malnutrition are on the rise.

This concerns every company in the UK because we are part of the communities we serve and when they do well, so do we.

Unfortunately, most companies do not know about the SDGs, let alone how the UK behaves against them.

This is because they are not prominent enough or relevant enough. One of the reasons is that they are so vast and so varied that it is difficult to make them tangible. There are 17 SDGs and 169 targets within them.

Even companies that are committed to making progress against them often struggle to translate aspiration into action.

You can forget that the government is taking the initiative – the Brexit is the only game in town for them.

This leaves the field open to businesses to play a much bigger role, not only because they should, but because the SDGs provide the perfect framework to guide and evaluate the purpose of a business .

to translate the SDGs into something more accessible and appealing to your different audiences and, most importantly, not to bite more than you can chew.

Unless you're a big multinational, it's unlikely you'll be able to make a tangible difference between the 17 goals.

Choose the ones that have the most relevance and legitimacy for your business. What steps can you take to make a real and lasting difference in this area?

Once you have chosen the ones you will focus on, they must be translated into a language understood by the audience you are looking for. to hire.

It does not matter if these audiences have no idea of ​​the SDOs that you are looking to achieve, nor even a vague awareness of what the SDGs are – what counts is that? is to see your focus and ambition described so as to create points of contact with their pbadions, interests and concerns.

The third step is the action to save the words.

The announcement of your desire that the company gives priority to one or more SDGS is the easiest thing; building them into daily performance goals, and giving your team and others permission to spend time and work there, is where the change actually occurs.

Some companies focus too much on the announcement of initiatives. outside.

Addressing the SDGs will take decades, and businesses need a long-term vision to constantly revitalize and replenish public interests and participation.

Although it may seem anathema to companies that are so often beholden to short-term drivers, the benefits of having a long-term mission on which an organization rests are important.

So, if you're a business leader, ask yourself, "Do the SDGs play a central role in our work, and if not, why not?"

Amanda Powell Smith is CEO of Forster Communications