Strategic engagement of business with Sustainable Development Goals: A systems thinking approach

Private companies seeking to heighten their social responsibility and reduce ecological impacts often lack practical approaches to discern high‐impact and cost‐effective changes. Deeper understanding of the interrelated economic, social, and ecological systems reflected in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) can enhance their ability to positively connect and influence both internal and external aspects of the integrated business and socio‐ecological system. Through an inductive study of three companies, this article demonstrates that systems thinking provides a valuable approach to help companies to understand and map the systems in which they operate, enabling them to expand their sustainability practices even as they address profit‐versus‐impact conflicts. We examine how strategic business goals and activities interplay with an organization's socio‐ecological system and thereby enhance business engagement with the SDGs. Our key contribution is a systems‐minded sustainable business framework using three processes: goal–purpose alignment, partnerships, and systemic interplay. We explain each company's sustainability efforts and their relative engagement with the SDGs as well as relative impact of such engagement on the company in return.