Provides an assessment of how companies participating in the UN Global Compact are adopting the Ten Principles and taking action to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Based on data collected as part of the UN Global Compact annual survey, the report takes stock of how businesses are performing on critical sustainability topics. For the first time, the 2020 report reviews data from a sectoral perspective. It also dives into the current state of progress for specific industry contributions to the SDGs. Broadly, the report finds that companies need to take more ambitious actions, at scale, to meet the objectives of the 2030 Agenda and create the world we want. This special 20th-anniversary edition of the UN Global Compact Progress Report was developed in collaboration with DNV GL. 

Introduces the SDG business benchmarks for consultation and collaboration. The UN Global Compact, together with its partners, calls upon business leaders to take more ambitious and comprehensive action across their operations and value chains, integrating the Ten Principles and 17 Sustainable Development Goals by setting targets in line with these benchmarks. Now more than ever, companies everywhere must unite in the business of a more resilient, sustainable world. Following the completion of the consultation period, this draft will be republished as a finalized set of benchmarks, including guidance on selecting and setting targets at the company-level. Industry-specific guidance and management integration guides will be published separately.

This report draws on corporate emissions and target data submitted to the SBTi and CDP — as well as extensive interviews with businesses and other stakeholders — to explore the progress the SBTi has made in driving the adoption of SBTs by businesses and the impact this has on decarbonising the economy.

Defines the unique characteristics possessed by leaders who are integrating sustainability across strategy, operations and stakeholder engagement and what this means for how CEOs, board members and executives are selected. Based on interviews with Board Members and CEOs, this white paper makes clear that the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires transformational business leaders who understand the need to look beyond near-term profits and embrace their role as change agents — both within and beyond their firms and broader ecosystems.