Why "For Progress"?

In 2015, the UN released 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a unilateral effort to outline and define the greatest challenges facing humanity that need to be addressed by 2030. The SDGs were an urgent call to action for governments and organizations to align efforts towards “a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.”

One third of the way into our SDG journey, the world is nowhere near on track to achieve the Goals by 2030.

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, our progress could be best described as uneven. Now, "the pandemic abruptly disrupted implementation towards many of the SDGs and, in some cases, turned back decades of progress," according to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020.

Key findings from this progress report include; 

• 71MM people are expected to go back into extreme poverty in 2020, the first rise in global poverty since 1998. 

• Unemployment/ underemployment due to the crisis is negatively impacting half the global workforce. 

• Women, children, and the most vulnerable are among those bearing the heaviest brunt of the pandemic’s effects.

• Climate change is accelerating; massive numbers of species are at risk of extinction; and unsustainable consumption and production patterns remain pervasive.

Entrepreneurs cannot sit idle and wait for governments and big organizations to solve our problems.

If we want to create a brighter future for humanity, it will require the efforts of all businesses and organizations, big and small. 

Every entrepreneur can make a difference

Not every entrepreneur can (or wants to) “change the world”, but every entrepreneur can do their part to make progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. This is what "For Progress Companies" are all about.

At first, lofty goals seem unreachable. After all, how can a startup or small company possibly solve a massive problem like poverty (SDG #1)?

While you can't "solve" poverty on your own, you can still align your business to achieve smaller goals that make progress towards solving and eliminating poverty.

Imagine a world where tens of thousands of entrepreneurs are building businesses that each do their part to make progress towards the SDGs. The benefits to humanity would be innumerable. 

For Profit, For Progress

For Progress and For Profit are NOT mutually exclusive. As the world becomes more connected and technology infiltrates the very fabric of our society, consumers have become increasingly attentive to the values and causes that businesses support.

There has truly never been a better time for entrepreneurs to leverage the power of the market to build for-profit companies that still make progress on the SDGs. 

Do your part

Get started on your progress by using our "Progress Planner" tool above, which is designed to help you identify achievable and measurable "Impact Key Performance Indicators" (iKPIs) within each Sustainable Development Goal. 

Once you choose and prioritize your iKPIs you can download a PDF or Image to share with your team, no email required.