Transparency of business conduct has long been a primary engine of improvement and will remain critical as stakeholders across the world continue to advance the shared goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Businesses – big and small – are essential actors in the journey to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This is the moment to take sustainability reporting to the next level. The SDGs foster corporate transparency and accountability. With this practical guide on integrating the SDGs into corporate reporting, we aim to help companies of all types in all countries to tackle the world’s most pressing issues. This guide helps businesses move beyond the current trend of simply mapping activities and programs against the SDGs to driving change.

The contents of this publication are aligned with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact and the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) Reporting Framework. The publication outlines a process of ‘principled prioritization’ aimed at helping companies to identify and prioritize their SDG targets, take action and report on their progress. This approach assists companies in integrating the SDGs into existing corporate responsibility and sustainability reporting programs. It also weaves together risk management and new business models that can contribute to the advancement of the SDGs.

This document is meant to be used together with other relevant tools released by GRI, the UN Global Compact and their partners, in particular Business Reporting on the SDGs: An Analysis of the Goals and Targets, In Focus: Addressing Investors Needs in Business Reporting on the SDGs and the SDG Compass. This guide was developed in close collaboration with partner organizations and businesses, and we would like to extend our special thanks to Shift and PwC for their support throughout the project.