ECOLUTION is pleased to welcome Dr Mark Terry to our team as lead consultant for our UN SDG Corporate Mandate Creation Service.
It is critical for all businesses, big or small, to adopt their own Corporate SDG Mandate that adheres to these goals, not only to make a direct contribution toward these essential initiatives by 2030, but also to serve as a model for others to follow as we seek to improve the global community in which we share.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) define global sustainable development priorities and aspirations and call for worldwide action among governments, businesses, and individuals to end poverty and create a life of dignity and opportunity for all, within the natural boundaries of the planet, by the year 2030.
The United Nations has specifically reached out to global businesses asking them to adhere to all 17 SDGs in five key areas: the Company, its Board, their Shareholders, its Employees, and the Public they serve. A complete breakdown of this request can be found in this letter issued by the UN in 2015.
ECOLUTION is pleased to offer a Corporate SDG Mandate Creation Service provided by Dr. Mark Terry, PhD, a professor of Environmental Studies at York University in Toronto, Canada.
Following an initial meeting and subsequent research and consultation regarding your business goals and objectives, Dr. Terry will draft your distinct Corporate SDG Mandate outlining your business’ commitments toward achieving each of the 17 SDGs and will then submit your mandate to the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals Action Team for approval, (See also ECOLUTION Corporate SDG Mandate Creation Process below).
Businesses that clearly demonstrate an achievable SDG mandate in their corporate culture, may use the UN’s official SDG logo in all their marketing, advertising, and promotion to identify themselves to their customers and other businesses that they are doing their part to make the world a better place to live for everyone by the end of this decade.
Since 2009 Dr. Terry has worked closely with the United Nations on climate change data collection and reporting. In 2015, he was part of the UN team that announced the Sustainable Development Goals at the COP21 climate summit in Paris, an agreement unilaterally signed by every nation on earth. He introduced a GIS database project called the Youth Climate Report that showcases more than 600 video reports of sustainability programs and climate research, impacts, and solutions on all seven continents. In 2021, the United Nations’ SDG Action Awards honoured Dr. Terry for his unique work in promoting SDG mandates through this innovative digital technology.
Dr. Terry’s work in this field has been recognized with a knighthood from the City of Vaughan (the Order of Vaughan); by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Diamond Jubilee Medal); by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (the Humanitarian Award); by the Explorers Club (the Stefansson Medal); and with prestigious Fellowship appointments to the Royal Society of Canada and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Today, he serves as the Chair of the Advanced Disaster, Emergency and Rapid Response Simulation Arctic Team and the Associate of the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education toward Sustainability.
This first meeting is conducted by Dr. Terry, (the assessor) and key members of the client’s team. This is often the corporate head (CEO) or someone specifically appointed to handle environmental policy for the company. Of course, this first meeting could also be attended by other key people from other departments of the company.
An overview of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is presented with specific descriptions of each of the 17 goals as defined by the UN in 2015.
After this introduction, participants from the company will explain how they believe the company currently addresses each of the 17 goals. In areas where there is no policy in place, the assessor will take note and research methods and approaches that may satisfy each of the SDGs that require a corporate policy.
The assessor returns with recommendations to review with the corporate team. The proposed methods and approaches of adhering to each of the 17 SDGs will be presented and discussed for implementation. It is at this stage that the corporate team can contribute information to refine the recommendations to best suit the company’s budget, timelines, and other related corporate policies.
After all parties are in agreement with the recommendations, a final report will be created detailing how the company plans to implement and adhere to all 17 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This document becomes the company’s official Corporate Sustainability Mandate.
A final review by the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals Action Team is made. Upon approval, permission to use the SDG logo and grid chart will be granted (see attached). These icons may be used in any and all promotional material for the company, its products, and services.
The company’s marketing department may then commence a PR campaign to announce their new Corporate SDG Mandate.
