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The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were designed as an urgent call for action by all countries to prioritize strategies that would lead to peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.1 Launched in 2015, these goals are intended to be achieved by 2030; we are more than halfway to that date yet the 2024 report reveals that only seventeen per cent of SDGs targets are on track to be achieved, nearly half are showing minimal or moderate progress, and progress on over a third has stalled or even regressed.2 These goals were not specifically intended to be applied in the maritime sector, but the maritime industry can take action in alignment with many of these goals to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
In this article, you will learn:
- How and why the UN Sustainable Development Goals were created
- How these goals relate to the marine sector
- Why referencing these goals helps sustainability reporting
What are Sustainable Development Goals?
The 17 SDGs are interlinked global goals covering a broad range of themes that include everything from ending poverty, to taking climate action, to reducing inequalities. To measure progress toward achievement of the goals, each SDG includes: 1) specific targets or sub-goals to be met; and 2) indicators or specific measures to measure progress toward each target. Within the 17 SDGs, there are 169 targets and more than 230 indicators.
How are the SDGs applied?
While the SDGs provide a set of global measures to achieve, they do not dictate local implementation of these goals, which is left up to each nation and organizations and individuals within each nation. In a ranking of all 193 UN Member States, as part of the 2023 analysis, Canada ranked 26th with a score of 78.5, which can be interpreted as 78.5% of SDGs achieved.3
While they were originally conceived for action on a national level, the SDGs also provide a useful universal framework that can be applied to different contexts, such as specific industries. Given the wide range of reporting methods available, the SDGs are increasingly being used as a universal, internationally recognized framework.
Integrating the SDGs into business reporting helps ensure that organizations are familiar with the SDGs and actively consider how their work can contribute to global progress. The detailed SDG targets provide a clear measure of success and allow for uniformity between reports. They also represent internationally determined priorities, which helps synchronize efforts across countries and industries to maximize impact and accelerate progress.
How can the maritime industry contribute to SDGs?
Because marine shipping activity is both global and local, comprising many different sectors and organizations, a universal framework for discussing sustainability efforts is difficult to find. Within Canada, those in the maritime industry use various environmental and sustainability metrics to report their progress, which can make it difficult to compare or gauge overall impact at an industry level. Varied efforts undertaken by Canadian port authorities, terminal operators, shipyards, shipowners and ship-operators and others have supported Canada’s contributions to the SDGs, but there was no summary of the efforts made or the impact they’ve had.
At Clear Seas, we were curious to find out how the maritime industry contributes to achieving these goals and what progress is being made in Canada. At the halfway mark to the 2030 SDG objectives, Clear Seas undertook a project to investigate how the maritime industry in Canada was supporting their achievement.
The goal of this research project was twofold. First, identifying the connections between the SDGs and the maritime industry provides a summary of the most relevant goals and initiatives for organizations to consider when developing and reporting on their sustainability efforts. Second, mapping the linkages between current maritime industry sustainability initiatives and SDGs provides maritime sector operators with an established way to convey their sustainability efforts to people who may not be familiar with the maritime industry.
The analysis identified which of the 17 goals have the most relevance to the maritime industry, created a tool for mapping maritime industry initiatives and environmental reporting methods to the SDGs, and examined to what extent industry players were using SDGs in their reporting as of January 2024. Results of this study suggest that eight SDGs (Goals #3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) have the most relevance to the maritime industry’s sustainability initiatives and that, out of the 169 SDG targets, just over one third (61) are relevant to the maritime industry.
Reporting on Sustainability Progress Using SDGs
Incorporating the SDGs into maritime industry reporting is a useful way to measure an organization’s progress on sustainability with a framework that is globally recognized. As of January 2024, just over two-thirds (67%) of Canadian maritime industry reports mentioned the SDGs and one-third mapped the SDGs to their organization initiatives, revealing an opportunity for more maritime industry participants to incorporate SDGs into their sustainability reports.
The final goal of this research project was to provide maritime sector operators with another way to convey their sustainability efforts. Whether engaging with municipalities, other industries, or the public, the maritime industry can use the SDGs as a common language for sustainability impact. The resources created through this research will make it easier for organizations to share and celebrate their sustainability efforts and to serve as inspiration for those that want to contribute to peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.
