21 February 2019: The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and partners are developing an online tool to help industries, governments, civil society organizations and others align their long-term strategies with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and deliver the greatest positive social value. The aim of the ‘Agenda 2030 Compass’ is to ensure that products, services and infrastructure are sustainable throughout their lifecycles. SEI notes rising demand in these areas.

The tool’s development is financed with approximately USD 1 million from Sweden’s Innovation Agency, Vinnova. The tool is based on a prototype developed for the Swedish steel industry that analyzes how investment decisions affect the conditions for achieving the SDGs. It is now being developed for use by global actors.

According to the SEI press release, businesses, governments, civil society and other actors face the question of how to “ensure that their organizational visions and strategies deliver sustainability, and all-round societal value.” A partner in the project, software developer Foxway, says the “math behind the Compass will help to simplify the complexity and to present the results in a way that makes sense to decision-makers.” The other partners in the project are Jernkontoret (the Swedish steel producers’ association) and the Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) Center for Collective Intelligence.

The Agenda 2030 Compass analyzes how the 17 SDGs and their targets interact with and affect each other. It quantifies, visualizes and compares how different action options contribute social value, as measured by the SDGs. SEI explains that while one action can positively contribute to several SDGs at the same time, it could also negatively affect others. For example, efforts to increase public health can increase gender equality and economic activity, but also cause increased emissions.

The tool draws on expert assessments and crowdsourcing to better reflect how different Goals and strategies might interact in a range of contexts where the tool might be used. The project’s outcomes will be used for strategic decision-making in business sectors and governments, as well as for research and by civil society organizations to assess the societal value impacts from investment options, research strategies and policy development.

The project, which will run through 2022, was presented at the Metallic Materials Program Conference held from 6-7 March 2019, in Stockholm, Sweden. [SEI Press Release] [Project webpage]