4 Of Our Biggest Global Problems Are Big Business Opportunities (BEN SCHILLER, 2/08/18, Co.Exist)

When the United Nations set out its Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, it was detailing not only an agenda for government and aid groups, but also one for business. Covering everything from global hunger to gender equality, the SDGs are a rich diet of opportunity. They show ways for companies to make money and to become engines of progress in the world.

A new report reframes the 17 SDGs along these lines, helping companies that say they want to enact an SDG agenda. It comes from Sustainia, a Danish think tank, as well as DNV GL, a Norwegian company, and the United Nations Global Compact, which works to bring companies into the SDG process. The report focuses on four SDGs that need most attention and some of the boldest action: inequality, responsible consumption, climate change, and oceans management.

Key to the report is the idea that companies can do more than be responsible actors. They can actually create solutions that improve lives and develop new markets. In other words, being responsible isn't some moral choice, but rather it's smart strategic planning. "Responsible and sustainable business is no longer a small niche industry. Rather, these markets have the potential to be the key drivers of business growth in the coming decades," the report says.