Methods in Sustainability Science: Chapter 2 - Business contributions to sustainable development goals

This study aims to find out how businesses contributed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the early years after the declaration of these Goals at the end of 2015. Samples were taken from Indonesian publicly listed companies that published sustainability reports during the period 2016–2018 after the SDGs adoption. It covered 34 companies, categorized into eight sectors: trade, services, and investment; basic industries and chemicals; mining; miscellaneous industries; agriculture; finance; infrastructure, utilities, and transportation; and consumer goods industry. The samples were taken from 102 sustainability reports. This study applies a qualitative approach with descriptive statistics to support the analysis. The results showed that the trade, service, and investment sector companies disclosed the highest SDGs information, followed by basic industries and chemicals, with the consumer goods industries sector disclosing the least. In addition, information related to “no poverty” was the most widely disclosed information in the sustainability reports, followed by “responsible consumption and production” and “life on land.” This study provides useful information for multisector institutions, especially for governments on how to plan future programs for socializing and promoting SDGs as one tool for creating sustainable businesses, as well as for protecting the environment, and improving society’s welfare.