What are the SDG Impact Standards?

The SDG Impact Standards are a transformative framework designed to guide businesses and investors in embedding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their core operations. The Standards offer tools for enterprise, private equity, bond issuers seeking to manage internal impacts, produce data, and promote collaboration.  ​

The Standards are structured around four interconnected themes: strategy, management, transparency, and governance. ​​ ​

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  • The strategy theme ensures sustainability and SDG contributions are central to an organization’s purpose, driving focus and resources toward outcomes that matter most. ​

  • The management approach establishes the systems and practices needed to optimize contributions to the SDGs, creating conditions for long-term success. ​

  • Transparency emphasizes accountability by ensuring stakeholders can access clear and useful information about decisions and their impacts. ​

  • Governance integrates sustainability and impact management into decision-making processes, fostering alignment with organizational values and principles. ​

By addressing these areas, the Standards help organizations integrate responsible business practices into their systems, align goals with sustainability priorities, and effectively manage both positive and negative impacts.  ​

​The Standards emphasize that sustainability is not a separate responsibility but a mindset and behavioral shift necessary for the long-term stability of the planet. The 12 steps through strategy, management approach, transparency, and governance offer a comprehensive approach that acknowledges positive and negative outcomes while promoting accountability and meaningful change. The Social Value Principles are embedded and integral to the SDG Impact Standards and the process of using them.  ​

​Globally, Social Value International is driving change toward a more sustainable and equitable world. Social Value Canada is proud to bring this movement to Canada - helping organizations to embrace these principles, engage meaningfully with people affected, and to work toward solutions that benefit society and the planet. ​

​As demand grows for proficiency in impact management, maximization, and valuation, SVC’s vision is to build capacity. Through courses and training (include link to courses and certifications page), SVC is equipping practitioners with the necessary knowledge and skills to maximize impact with available resources, and to better communicate the value of results.  ​

​Training on the use of the SDG Impact Standards will begin in Canada, in April 2025. For information please click here!