Localizing the sustainable development goals through an integrated approach in municipalities: early experiences from a Swedish forerunner

Abstract

The 2030 Agenda and its SDGs call for cross-sectoral collaboration and societal transformation. Translating these indivisible goals to the local level is an important undertaking for municipalities given their wide range of responsibilities. This paper explores SDG localization in a Swedish municipal organization, providing analyses on management practice, having an integrated approach to sustainability. Based on document studies and interviews, it reflects experiences from an early phase of SDG localization. Having an integrated approach to SDG localization was shown to be dependent on aspects such as structure, leadership and coordination, yet simultaneously flexibility, organizational learning as well as time and timing. Such an integrated approach also comes with the challenge of operationalizing the SDGs into management systems, budgets and motivating employees across organizational silos and levels. The paper concludes that the SDG framework presents an opportunity for municipalities to understand and review their organizations through a broad systems perspective on sustainability.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals as innovation drivers for local sustainability governance? Examples from Germany

“…Implementing the SDGs requires two major steps that could reinforce those barriers: integrating the SDGs in a sustainability management system (operationalisation), which includes strategy, measures and monitoring development, as well as translating the SDGs into the local context (localisation) (see, e.g. Krantz and Gustafsson, 2021). The latter means adapting targets and monitoring to local conditions, such as access to the sea, and local specifics, such as connectivity to metropolitan areas.…”

Governing the Interlinkages between the SDGs

“…Hence, the ability of these stakeholders to take an integrated perspective is key. Some studies aim to support this by, for example, sharing practices for teaching sustainability and systems thinking in the context of SDGs (Weber, Lindenmeyer, Liò, and Lapkin, 2021), and by reflecting on practical experiences of taking an integrated approach to SDG implementation (Krantz and Gustafsson, 2021).…”

Decision-making and decision support connected to biogas use in Sweden

“…In recent years, an increasing number of actors have started to base their work towards sustainability on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This can allow actors, such as public organizations like municipalities, to get a broader systems perspective into sustainability implementation (Krantz and Gustafsson 2021). Since biogas systems can fit into the sustainable development goals in a number of different ways (Hagman and Eklund 2016), further interest in the sustainable development goals and in broader perspectives can increase interest in biogas in order for the decision-makers to work towards several goals at the same time.…”