“We made a commitment that we were going to create a business that was just and sustainable in every aspect” - Karen Barnett, Co-Founder and Director, Montville Coffee
The Sustainable Development Goals are a continuation and re-evaluation of the highly successful Millennium Development Goals. The Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by 193 world leaders at the end of 2015. Signing the agenda was a commitment to take action and achieve the 17 goals by 2030.
These agendas tackle issues such as poverty, environmental protection and sustainability, as well as economic and social development. These are GLOBAL goals. Action is required by impoverished and wealthy countries alike with each nation being responsible for their own leadership and progress made by 2030.
Businesses play a vital role in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.
As a small business and social enterprise, we have sought to work with women entrepreneurs from around the world. We have been able to create a growing number of sustainable incomes and opportunities for youth within our business. Working with Third Party Certifiers BCorp and Fairtrade has brought us together with like-minded organisations that are also seeking ethical, energy efficient and sustainable solutions.
Between 1990 and 2015, the rate of extreme global poverty halved, primary school attendance increased by 50% worldwide and the number of women in parliament doubled. The object of the Sustainable Development Goals is to build on these groundbreaking global achievements. Our commitment as a small business has been to be just and sustainable in every aspect. As we move forward with our own sustainability framework, it is exciting to know that this is a truly global enterprise that we are part of.
An excellent speech to listen to is Bono’s Ted Talk on Poverty. It’s not only inspiring but also encouraging that as a global society, we are listening and responding to our social and environmental issues.
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