Beyond Cockpit-ism: Four Insights to Enhance the Transformative Potential of the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Abstract:The Sustainable Development

Multinational enterprises and the Sustainable Development Goals: An institutional approach to corporate engagement

“…Goals are critical for orienting and socially mobilising multiple stakeholders' activities in a consistent manner towards a specific, concise, measurable, and new trajectory of sustainable development, while simultaneously putting peer pressure on agents regarding their progress made towards the goals (Sachs, 2015). The SDGs' bottomup approach that encourages the participation of a wide variety of stakeholders (Biermann et al, 2017) also helps mobilise businesses (Hajer et al, 2015;Schönherr, Findler, & Martinuzzi, 2017). Seen this way, the SDG framework, which importantly includes five principles to guide agents' effortsPeople, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnering (UN, 2015) -can be understood as applying normative institutional pressure to work towards the achievement of the SDGs.…”

“…There is a clear business logic to these responses: contributing to the SDGs can unlock 12 trillion USD annually in business opportunities (Business & Sustainable Development Commission, 2017). Whether companies can make this material depends on their further actions, in interaction with governmental policies and strategies of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) (GRI, UN Global Compact, & WBCSD, 2015;Hajer et al, 2015;UN Global Compact, 2017).…”

Which Way? Who Says? Why? Questions on the Multiple Directions of Social Progress

“…[28] Increasingly, the emphasized gravity and urgency of environmental challenges are held to demand moves towards new forms of "environmental authoritarianism" [29], under which democracy is openly dismissed as a "luxury" that should be "put on hold". [30] Under an alternative perspective, however, it is exactly these kinds of "fallacies of control" [31] and associated "cockpitism" [32] that constitute the core of the problem. Alongside other more human forms of exploitation, environmental destruction can in this sense be seen as a symptom of powerful interests and privileged groups being insulated from the consequences of their exploitative practices.…”

The Sustainable Development Goals and REDD+: assessing institutional interactions and the pursuit of synergies

“…As Sachs (2012) observes, private companies are responsible for key production processes that drive deforestation (notably agriculture), which may be altered even if those companies are not directly accountable for achieving the SDGs. The private sector also owns much technology and innovation capacity needed for sustainable development (Hajer et al 2015), so their commitment to supporting SDGs and REDD? goals and targets is important in sectors that drive deforestation impacts.…”