Abstract:
Organizations have driven sustainability, with some efforts focused on the organization itself and others on how organizations contribute to society, e.g. through achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Although organizations are addressing the SDGs, they have only been integrated into organizational systems to a limited extent. This paper examined how organizations have addressed the SDGs. A survey was developed to explore the impact and contribution of organizations to sustainability, with 294 responses received to the questions on the impact of organizations on sustainability. The data was analysed using a descriptive analysis: Friedman test to rank the impacts on the SDGs and categorise them into quartiles; a ratio analysis between positive and negative impacts; and correlations. The results show that the impact of organizations on the SDGs is generalisable to all types of organizations with three exceptions (SDGs 4, 5 and 16). The results were also used to develop a categorisation of SDG impacts. The correlation analysis showed that organizations address the SDGs through a compartmentalized approach. The results helped to propose the ‘impact of organizations on the SDGs’, focusing on the contribution of organizations to sustainability. This research shows that organizations can contribute directly to some SDGs, but not to others. Therefore, the discourse needs to shift from the integration of the SDGs into organizations to the contribution that organizations can make to the SDGs.

The event will be held in English.