Press releases

Currently the perception of most entrepreneurs and citizens is that the state is obliged to create conditions and take care of the development of society. This approach is already outdated and in the long term does not generate tangible results. It is therefore important for a prosperous society to involve all actors and beneficiaries, and synergy of joint efforts can bring benefits for all. It is estimated that the private sector can play a crucial role in delivering about half of the 169 SDGs targets²it has a huge impact on gender equality, clean and affordable energy, innovation and infrastructure, health and well-being, and with a significant impact on the other targets as well. Earlier private sector promoters have already aligned their business objectives with the SDGs, creating “sustainable brands”, which are launched on the market and involve high development rates for companies³. Unilever, for example, found that the degree of knowledge of its long-lasting brands is growing by 30 % faster than the rest of its business, and in 2015 they provided almost half of the company’s total growth. As in the case of Unilever, there are companies from other industries forming a cutting-edge of integrating sustainable development objectives into business objectives. These companies attract new types of customers, competitive workforce, partners, investors and others.

With regard to challenges existing, such as lack of access to affordable housing, ageing population, prevalence of obesity, climate change and many others, the SDG framework could bring at least USD 12 trillion to new business opportunitiesespecially in such areas such as the energy efficiency of buildings, circular economic models (e.g. office and vehicle sharing), green chemicals, remote patient monitoring, urban agriculture, etc. For example Samsung has a comprehensive take-over and recycling policy that converts waste production into new resources. Volvo went into a “Transport as a service” project, which proposes to replace cars in the US, part of the transition to shared vehicles and the reduction of the carbon footprint. More and more companies are shaping their business strategies so as to help achieve sustainable development. Moldova is only at the beginning of the road and the first to test it have obvious advantages.

The SDGs re-pay the business environment by opening up new development markets for companies, improving the production and supply chains, as well as providing opportunities for initiating changes in regulators. More specifically, the SDGs contribute to creating new markets or developing existing markets. Improvements brought by the SDGs by companies are linked to increased resources and efficiency in production, waste reduction, improved labour productivity and increased input productivity. For Moldovan companies, communicating and integrating the SDGs in business processes could increase the credibility of the product/service, export potential, reputation, chances of obtaining non-repayable financial resources, new sustainable partners and not just.

An internal analysis of the Corporate Social Responsibility activities in Moldova’s private sector clearly shows that it already contributes to the 2030 SDG Agenda. The participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Annual Competition “SME – model of corporate social responsibility”, initiated and successfully implemented by the Organisation for the Development of Sector Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (ODSMEs), is a clear evidence of this. Since 2009 through this competition, DSOs SMEs, in partnership with local public authorities, have promoted the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility and the benefits for society and entrepreneurs as a result of the implementation of this concept. We note, however, that corporate social responsibility principles represent only a small part of the 17 objectives of sustainable development. This means that there is a wide field for businesses of other activities that can generate a benefit for both society and the private sector.

What your company could do to recognise efforts on SDG implementation:

— Participate in the annual competition organised by DSOIMM “ÎMM – Corporate Social Responsibility Model”;

— Communicate to society about your current contribution to achieving the SDGs targets, even if it is not for the moment;

— Request support in the light of the identification of new niches for sustainable services/products/practices incorporated in your business strategy.

The current initiative is part of the partnership established between the ODIMM Project and PSE4SDGs and seeks to facilitate the involvement of the private sector in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The project is financed by the UNDP Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia Investment Facility for Impact.

More information can be accessed here.

To support these activities, companies can access existing resources under the UNDP Moldova, the Private Sector Involvement for Sustainable Development Goals (PE4SDGs) initiative:

Dumitru Vasilescu, UNDP Project Manager, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

use ODIMM, contact person Ludmila Stihi, ODIMM, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.