The research is published on the SDG Action Day. On this annual event, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nation are celebrated. Public and private organisations map out how far they are in the Netherlands in achieving the Development Goals. Think of the recovery of biodiversity, circular economy, sustainable agriculture, equality, inclusivity, zero poverty and healthy food for everyone. Almost all countries in the world signed for realisation of the goals in 2030, this is only ten years from now!

The Dutch Sustainable Growth Coalition (DSGC) want to make a big contribution to the SDGs. They formulated this as their mission in 2015. The study ‘Internal Transformation to a Purpose-Driven Organisation’ shows that the DSGC members believe that the time to talk is over and concrete actions that lead to measurable results are needed. They invest, for example, in culture programs for employees and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for their sustainability goals.

The experiences of these large companies with the SDGs indicate that a successful purpose transformation require at least the following actions:

1. Incorporate the SDGs into your organisational structure and processes so that all stakeholders are enabled to act on those objectives;
2. Realise behavioural change among employees, so that striving for the SDGs becomes a second nature;
3. Start small, be transparent, make your contributions measurable and take accountability for your results, for example in the annual report.

The full whitepaper can be found here.