The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 global objectives introduced in 2015, aimed at addressing critical challenges like poverty, inequality, and climate change by 2030. Reporting on these goals helps organisations track their contributions and align their efforts with global benchmarks. Here’s a quick breakdown:

• 17 Goals, 169 Targets, 232 Indicators: The SDGs are divided into specific targets and measurable indicators to track progress.

• Key Reporting Frameworks: Popular options include GRI, TCFD, SASB, and ISSB standards. Each offers unique ways to structure and disclose progress.

• Challenges: Common issues include fragmented data, limited metrics, and difficulty in tracking indirect impacts like Scope 3 emissions.

• Tech Solutions: Platforms like neoeco simplify reporting by integrating sustainability metrics into financial systems, automating data collection, and ensuring audit-ready disclosures.

To succeed, focus on a few SDGs that align with your business, set clear measurable targets, and use technology to streamline reporting. Collaboration with stakeholders - employees, suppliers, and communities - further enhances the impact of your efforts. With the 2030 deadline approaching, robust SDG reporting is more important than ever.

How to Align Your Reporting with UN SDGs | #unitednations #humanrights

The 17 SDGs and Their Targets

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a detailed framework for addressing global challenges through specific targets and measurable indicators. Each goal focuses on a key area of development, with clear benchmarks to track progress.

The 17 Goals Explained

The SDGs serve as a global roadmap, addressing a wide range of issues across economic, social, and environmental dimensions.

Goals 1-6 centre on fundamental human needs and social well-being. For example, SDG 1 (No Poverty) aims to eliminate extreme poverty, while SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) focuses on ensuring food security and better nutrition. SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) prioritises improving health outcomes for all age groups. SDG 4 (Quality Education) seeks to provide inclusive and equitable learning opportunities. Meanwhile, SDG 5 (Gender Equality) advocates for women's empowerment, and SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) addresses access to clean water and proper sanitation.

Goals 7-12 shift attention to economic growth and infrastructure. SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) promotes access to renewable energy, and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) focuses on fair employment practices and labour rights. SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) supports sustainable industrialisation, while SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) aims to address income and social disparities. SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) tackles urbanisation challenges, and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) encourages efficient use of resources.

Goals 13-17 highlight environmental protection and global collaboration. SDG 13 (Climate Action) focuses on addressing climate change through mitigation and adaptation strategies. SDG 14 (Life Below Water) seeks to conserve marine ecosystems, and SDG 15 (Life on Land) targets the protection of biodiversity on land. SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) promotes good governance and the rule of law. Finally, SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) underscores the importance of collaboration and effective implementation.

Targets and Measurement Indicators

Each SDG is broken down into specific targets, offering a roadmap for achieving the broader goals. Across all 17 goals, there are 169 targets, all aimed at being accomplished by 2030. These targets provide actionable benchmarks, helping organisations align their sustainability efforts with the global agenda.

To measure progress, the UN has developed 232 unique indicators. These indicators act as standardised tools for tracking and reporting contributions. For instance, SDG 7 includes targets for increasing the share of renewable energy, which are measured through specific indicators.

Organisations can select indicators that align with their operational focus, enabling them to integrate SDG metrics into their sustainability strategies. These indicators are classified into a three-tier system based on their methodology and data availability:

• Tier I: Indicators with established methodologies and widely available data.

• Tier II: Indicators with established methodologies but limited data availability.

• Tier III: Indicators lacking established international methodologies.

This classification helps organisations assess the feasibility and reliability of their measurement approaches.

Many companies incorporate SDG indicators into their sustainability reporting, often aligning them with frameworks like ISSB standards. This integration enhances reporting by addressing both regulatory requirements and contributions to global development.

However, data collection and verification remain significant challenges. Organisations need strong data management systems to track progress effectively and ensure consistency in reporting. Capturing indirect impacts, such as those within supply chains, requires robust tracking systems and collaboration with stakeholders.

SDG Reporting Frameworks and Standards

To effectively report on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), organisations need to follow established frameworks and standards. These frameworks provide the structure needed to translate SDG commitments into measurable results and transparent reporting.

Main Reporting Frameworks

There are several widely recognised frameworks that guide SDG reporting, each offering a unique approach to measurement and disclosure.

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is a popular choice for sustainability reporting. Its standards help organisations connect their impacts to specific SDG targets. With a modular design, it allows companies to focus on the standards most relevant to their operations, making it a flexible tool for aligning with SDGs.

The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) concentrates on climate-related risks and is particularly relevant to SDG 13 (Climate Action). By focusing on governance, strategy, risk management, and metrics, TCFD provides a structured pathway that many organisations use alongside their broader SDG reporting efforts.

The Integrated Reporting Framework from the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) takes a broader view, linking financial and non-financial performance to show how organisations create value over time. This approach is ideal for companies aiming to highlight their long-term contributions to sustainable development.

For members of the UN Global Compact, the Communication on Progress (COP) framework is a go-to option. It explicitly requires reporting on SDG contributions and offers sector-specific guidance and benchmarking opportunities to help organisations align their efforts with global goals.

The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards focus on sustainability information that is financially material. With industry-specific metrics, SASB is particularly useful for companies that want to integrate SDG reporting into their financial disclosures.

The International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) has introduced IFRS S1 and S2 standards, which are gaining traction in regions adopting these guidelines. These standards focus on the financial materiality of sustainability data, including SDG-related impacts that influence enterprise value.

While these frameworks offer diverse approaches, they often require advanced tools for efficient data management and reporting. This is where platforms like neoeco come into play.

How neoeco Supports SDG Reporting

Although frameworks provide the guidelines, implementing them effectively requires integrated platforms. Traditional methods often fall short in managing the complex data demands of SDG reporting. Platforms like neoeco address this gap by embedding sustainability metrics directly into financial systems through financially-integrated sustainability management (FiSM).

Using its FiS Ledger technology, neoeco incorporates over 90 ESG impact factors into financial transactions, offering real-time insights into SDG performance. For example, organisations focused on SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) can monitor resource usage in real time, directly linked to their financial activities.

AI-driven automation within the platform streamlines data collection and reporting. By automatically linking financial transactions to SDG indicators, it reduces manual effort and the risk of errors. This is especially helpful for organisations navigating multiple SDG frameworks simultaneously.

Neoeco supports a wide range of reporting standards, including ISSB, CSRD, GHGP, TCFD, and GRI, ensuring consistency across various requirements while aligning with SDG goals. This means data collected for one framework, such as ISSB, can also be used for SDG reporting, improving efficiency and data accuracy.

The platform also incorporates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies, providing the scientific precision needed for credible environmental impact reporting. For instance, its ability to track Scope 3 emissions in real time supports disclosures related to SDG 13 (Climate Action) and other environmental objectives.

By unifying data sources, workflows, and reporting templates, neoeco eliminates data silos. This centralised data management ensures that SDG disclosures are consistent, audit-ready, and reliable - key factors for building trust with stakeholders in an era of heightened scrutiny.

Customisable dashboards allow organisations to adapt their reporting to evolving standards and stakeholder expectations. This flexibility is increasingly important as SDG reporting requirements continue to evolve.

Finally, neoeco integrates seamlessly with existing accounting software, ERP systems, and other business tools. By embedding SDG reporting into everyday business processes, it removes the need for separate, resource-heavy activities. This financially-integrated approach ensures that sustainability reporting becomes as routine and reliable as financial reporting itself.

Common SDG Reporting Challenges and Solutions

Implementing SDG reporting often presents a range of hurdles for organisations, spanning technical, strategic, and operational aspects. From fragmented data systems to the lack of standardised metrics, these challenges require innovative approaches to tackle them effectively.

Main Reporting Challenges

One of the biggest obstacles in SDG reporting is data fragmentation. Many organisations manage their environmental, social, and governance data across separate systems, making it tough to create cohesive reports. For example, reporting on SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) requires pulling data from HR systems, financial records, supply chain databases, and operational metrics. Without integrated systems, finance teams and sustainability professionals can spend weeks consolidating data manually, leading to delays and potential errors.

Adding to this complexity is the lack of standardised metrics. While the UN provides 231 indicators for the 17 SDGs, translating these into measurable business metrics is no small feat. Take SDG 12.2, which focuses on the "sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources." For a manufacturing company, this might mean defining specific targets for resource efficiency - something that often requires significant interpretation and tailoring.

Another major challenge lies in Scope 3 emissions reporting, which is especially relevant for climate-related SDGs. These indirect emissions, often making up 70-90% of an organisation's carbon footprint, occur across the value chain and are notoriously hard to track. Traditional accounting systems aren't equipped to measure the environmental impact of purchased goods, business travel, or the downstream processing of sold products, adding to the complexity.

Audit readiness also becomes a sticking point when sustainability reports rely on manual processes like spreadsheets. With growing scrutiny from investors, regulators, and stakeholders, organisations need their data to meet audit-grade standards. Unfortunately, many current sustainability reporting processes fall short of these requirements.

The time and resource burden of SDG reporting is another critical issue. Preparing disclosures can take months, often putting a disproportionate strain on small sustainability teams that lack the tools and infrastructure to streamline their work.

Finally, organisations often face the challenge of multiple framework alignment. Reporting to frameworks like GRI, TCFD, and specific SDG indicators means reformatting the same data repeatedly. Without integrated systems, this process becomes time-consuming and inefficient, requiring teams to collect and format the same information multiple times for different audiences.

These challenges highlight the need for integrated and automated solutions that simplify the reporting process.

Technology Solutions for SDG Reporting

Modern technology offers a way to streamline SDG reporting by embedding sustainability metrics directly into core business processes. Instead of treating SDG reporting as a separate task, advanced tools integrate data collection into day-to-day operations.

One approach is financially-integrated sustainability management, which changes how organisations handle SDG reporting. Platforms like neoeco use technologies such as FiS Ledger to embed over 90 ESG impact factors into financial transactions. This means every purchase, sale, or operational expense automatically generates sustainability data, eliminating the need for separate data collection. For goals like SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), this integration enables real-time monitoring of resource use, helping organisations identify inefficiencies and address them immediately rather than months later during annual reviews.

AI-driven automation is another game-changer. By using AI to map financial transactions to specific SDG indicators, platforms can reduce data collection time from weeks to hours. Automation also improves accuracy by minimising manual errors and ensuring consistent methodologies. Beyond data collection, AI can populate disclosure templates, cross-check data across frameworks, and flag inconsistencies for review. This allows sustainability teams to focus on analysis rather than administrative tasks.

To handle the complexities of Scope 3 emissions, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) integration offers a scientific approach to environmental SDG reporting. Advanced platforms incorporate LCA methodologies into their systems, ensuring that environmental impact calculations meet both academic and regulatory standards. For climate-related goals like SDG 13, this ensures stakeholders receive reliable carbon accounting. With integrated LCA capabilities, organisations can track indirect emissions in real time, avoiding reliance on annual surveys or generic emission factors.

Centralised data management with real-time monitoring addresses audit readiness and simplifies reporting across multiple frameworks. By consolidating data sources, workflows, and templates into a single platform, organisations can ensure consistency across all SDG disclosures while maintaining a clear audit trail. For example, data collected for ISSB reporting can automatically populate SDG indicators, and GRI disclosures can draw from the same dataset. This eliminates duplicate efforts and ensures alignment across various reporting requirements.

Real-time visibility into SDG progress allows organisations to identify and address performance issues as they arise, rather than discovering them months later. This not only improves sustainability management but also signals a genuine commitment to achieving SDG targets.

Building Your SDG Reporting Strategy

Creating a solid SDG reporting strategy means embedding the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into the core of your business. The most effective companies see SDG reporting as more than just a compliance task - they treat it as a strategic tool that drives real operational improvements and strengthens relationships with stakeholders.

Connecting Business Goals with SDGs

The key to impactful SDG reporting is prioritising the goals that align with your business. Instead of spreading efforts thin across all 17 SDGs, focus on 3-5 goals where your organisation can make the greatest difference. This approach ensures your resources are used wisely, and your progress can be tracked effectively.

Start with an impact mapping exercise to connect your business activities to specific SDG targets. For example, a manufacturing company might find strong ties to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) through resource efficiency efforts, SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) via employment practices, and SDG 13 (Climate Action) through carbon reduction initiatives.

Once you’ve identified your priority SDGs, it’s time to set measurable targets. Avoid vague promises like "supporting decent work." Instead, create specific goals such as "achieving 100% living wage compliance across all direct operations by 2026" or "cutting water usage per production unit by 25% by 2027." These targets not only create accountability but also make progress easier to measure.

To ensure long-term success, integrate SDG targets into your business planning processes. Include them in departmental KPIs, executive scorecards, and strategic plans. When sustainability metrics are given the same importance as financial performance, businesses see real operational changes, not just surface-level improvements.

Consider setting up cross-functional SDG working groups with team members from finance, operations, HR, and sustainability. These groups can uncover ways to align SDG progress with business objectives, like energy efficiency projects that cut costs while advancing climate goals or supplier diversity programmes that strengthen supply chains and promote inclusive growth.

This alignment sets the stage for using technology to streamline your SDG tracking and reporting.

Using Technology for Better Reporting

To bring your SDG strategy to life, integrating technology into your operations is essential. The best approach involves embedding sustainability tracking into everyday business processes, rather than treating it as a separate task.

Platforms like neoeco make this possible by integrating SDG tracking into daily operations. For instance, every purchase order, energy bill, or payroll transaction automatically generates sustainability data. This method bridges the gap between operations and reporting, providing real-time insights.

With real-time monitoring, businesses can spot performance issues as they happen and act quickly. For example, if your company has committed to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) targets, integrated systems can monitor energy use daily and flag any deviations from renewable energy goals immediately.

One of the biggest challenges in SDG reporting is managing multiple frameworks. Platforms with multi-framework alignment simplify this by allowing the same data to meet SDG indicators, ISSB requirements, CSRD disclosures, and GRI standards. This eliminates duplicate efforts and ensures consistency across reports.

AI-driven automation takes things further by simplifying complex tasks. For instance, when reporting Scope 3 emissions under climate-related SDGs, AI can map supplier transactions to emission factors, calculate downstream impacts, and populate SDG 13 indicators - all without manual input. This not only saves time but also enhances accuracy by reducing human error.

As scrutiny from investors and regulators increases, audit-ready data management becomes critical. Integrated platforms keep detailed audit trails, showing how raw data translates into SDG indicators. This transparency builds trust with stakeholders and supports external assurance processes.

Working with Stakeholders

With a strong strategy and integrated technology in place, engaging stakeholders becomes the next step. Effective SDG reporting involves more than just internal data collection - it requires active collaboration with the people and groups affected by your sustainability efforts.

Start with stakeholder mapping to identify key groups such as investors, customers, employees, local communities, suppliers, and regulators. Each group will have unique needs and preferences for how they receive information.

For investors, SDG reporting has become a critical part of ESG-focused decision-making. Go beyond annual reports by providing quarterly updates, integrating sustainability metrics into investor presentations, and offering detailed briefings on how SDG initiatives drive long-term value. This approach helps investors see the financial and social value of your sustainability efforts.

Supply chain collaboration is crucial for progress on many SDGs, especially those related to decent work, responsible consumption, and climate action. Work with suppliers on joint improvement initiatives, share reporting methods, and offer training on sustainability data collection. Collaborative targets benefit everyone involved.

Engaging employees in SDG reporting can turn them into internal advocates for sustainability. Share regular updates on SDG progress, offer training to show how their roles contribute to these goals, and recognise achievements. When employees see how their daily work connects to global challenges, they’re more likely to contribute ideas for improvement.

For community stakeholders, open dialogue is key. Set up forums to discuss SDG progress, especially for goals like poverty reduction, education, and environmental protection. These conversations can uncover unintended consequences of your activities and highlight opportunities for greater impact.

Finally, transparency and accessibility are essential in SDG communication. Publish progress updates regularly, use clear visuals to make data easier to understand, and acknowledge areas where targets aren’t being met. This honesty builds trust and shows a genuine commitment to improvement.

Collaborating with NGOs, academic institutions, and other businesses can amplify your SDG impact. Joint initiatives allow smaller organisations to contribute to larger programmes and share resources like measurement methods and reporting frameworks. These partnerships often lead to innovative solutions and valuable insights for everyone involved.

Conclusion

UN SDG reporting has evolved from being a voluntary initiative to becoming a fundamental aspect of verifying global commitments to sustainability. With the 2030 deadline looming, the gap between current progress and the required outcomes highlights the growing importance of transparent and effective reporting.

Forward-thinking organisations see SDG reporting as more than just compliance - it’s a strategic tool that shapes operations, strengthens stakeholder relationships, and delivers tangible results. By prioritising specific SDGs where they can have the most impact, businesses avoid overextending resources and instead develop focused expertise in areas that align with their goals and societal needs. These efforts are further amplified by advancements in technology.

Technology plays a pivotal role in this transformation. For instance, neoeco demonstrates how integrating sustainability data into financial systems can turn reporting into actionable, real-time insights. When sustainability metrics are drawn directly from routine transactions - like purchase orders, energy usage, or payroll - organisations gain detailed, continuous insights to monitor progress against SDG targets.

Companies embedding SDG tracking into their core processes benefit from faster reporting cycles, improved data accuracy, and more effective communication with stakeholders. These advantages build on the frameworks and technologies discussed earlier, enabling businesses to streamline their efforts and enhance their impact.

Collaboration is equally crucial. Effective SDG reporting thrives on genuine partnerships with suppliers, communities, employees, and investors. Such cooperation ensures that sustainability efforts are inclusive and aligned with broader goals.

As digital transformation and regulatory updates, such as the 2025 Comprehensive Review, reshape the landscape, organisations that invest in robust SDG reporting today will be better equipped to navigate future challenges.

The way forward is clear: integrate SDG reporting into your business strategy, harness technology to improve data quality and efficiency, and engage stakeholders as active participants in your sustainability journey. By mastering these elements, businesses can go beyond meeting reporting standards to create meaningful, lasting change.

FAQs

How can organisations decide which SDGs to prioritise when resources and time are limited?

To make the most of limited resources when addressing SDGs, organisations should concentrate on goals that naturally align with their core activities, strategic aims, and what their stakeholders value most. By focusing on areas where they’re best positioned to make a difference and where implementation is practical, resources can be used more efficiently.

A customised approach works best. Think about regional priorities, challenges specific to your industry, and your current business objectives to pinpoint the SDGs that matter most. Incorporating SDGs into ESG reporting frameworks can also help identify key targets, ensuring transparency and showcasing genuine efforts towards sustainable development.

These steps allow organisations to craft a clear strategy that matches their strengths with the pressing global need for sustainable change.

How can technology address challenges like fragmented data and inconsistent metrics in SDG reporting?

Technology plays a key role in addressing the challenges of SDG reporting, such as fragmented data and inconsistent metrics. Tools like AI, IoT, and data analytics help bring together and standardise information from various sources. This makes data more accurate, transparent, and comparable, simplifying the process for organisations to align with global frameworks like ISSB and CSRD.

By automating workflows and offering real-time insights, technology not only makes reporting more efficient but also helps organisations meet sector-specific requirements. This allows businesses to produce reliable, audit-ready disclosures while improving decision-making and building investor trust.

How can businesses align their SDG reporting with frameworks like GRI, TCFD, and ISSB while avoiding duplication?

To align SDG reporting with frameworks such as GRI, TCFD, and ISSB without duplicating work, businesses should consider an integrated reporting strategy. This means pinpointing overlapping requirements across these frameworks and streamlining data collection to satisfy multiple standards at once.

Platforms like neoeco can simplify this process by automating reporting tasks. These tools ensure compliance with global standards, including ISSB (IFRS S1 & S2) and CSRD, by consolidating financial and sustainability data into a single system. This approach not only reduces manual effort but also delivers consistent, audit-ready disclosures. By adopting such solutions, organisations can save time, enhance accuracy, and dedicate more energy to achieving meaningful sustainability goals.

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