Governance Meets Global Goals: Understanding the ISO 37000-SDG Connection

Introduction 

Two significant frameworks propelling global #sustainability initiatives, the United Nations 's Sustainable Development Goals (#SDGs) 2030 and #ISO37000, address major challenges such as poverty, inequality, and climate change and provide the guideline for organizations to adopt ethical and sustainable governance practices. This short article will explore how these two frameworks support one another, what is the role of ISO 37000 in advancing the SDGs and how this integration is understood and addressed at MCIS Language Solutions . 

Understanding the SDGs and ISO 37000 

The SDGs, set by the United Nations in 2015, currently consist of 17 interrelated objectives with a 2030 target for accomplishing them. The goals address major global issues such as #poverty, #healthcare, gender equality, urban #sustainability, and #climatechange. Achieving these targets necessitates collaboration among governments, businesses, and civil society to foster a future that will be more sustainable and inclusive. On the other hand, ISO 37000 (2021), as an international standard for organizational governance, emphasizes the accountable, transparent, fair, and responsive governance to guide and control organizations and businesses in achieving their objectives ethically and sustainably. In other words, the standard is meant to guide organizations in incorporating SDG principles into their governance frameworks.

In our view, the standard's principles support organizations in achieving SDG objectives directly and explicitly through: 

1. Enhanced Accountability and Transparency (ISO 37000) to support SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions 

As ISO 37000 emphasizes accountability and transparency it promotes in particular the value of SDG 16’s goal of creating peaceful, just and strong institutions. The standard provides practical advice on transparent reporting, equitable decision-making, and stakeholder involvement assisting in development of governance systems for social equity and institutional responsibility.  As an early adopter of ISO 37000 and The UN Global Compact member, MCIS has implemented several relevant governance practices: regular sustainability reporting, more robust Board-staff communication channels, and enhanced decision-making framework These measures, we believe, demonstrate our commitment to transparency and ethical leadership.

2. Ethical and Socially Equitable Governance (ISO 37000) to support SDGs 1 (No Poverty) and 10 (Reduced Inequality)

Another type of guidance ISO 37000 provides is for organizations to understand how to align their profits or surplus with social economy. General practices that advance SDGs 1 and 10 include: fair wages, equal employment opportunities, and new community development projects. These assist organizations not only in narrowing socioeconomic disparities both within the organization but also in surrounding or impacted communities. In our case, the essential governance practices we are implementing to advance social equity are: instituting fair compensation policies across all levels, encouraging inclusive hiring, maintaining training and development programs for underrepresented and marginalized groups (refugees, asylum seekers, newcomers), creating initiatives to diversify our suppliers, supporting community language advocacy projects, performing social impact assessments of the MCIS Social Benefit Fund (offering free language services to individuals), and collaborating with local organizations to use language access as a tool of fighting poverty and inequality. These initiatives, we believe, foster sustainable economic growth and tackle inequality. 

3. Integration of Environmental Responsibility (ISO 37000) to support SDG 13: Climate Action 

The ISO 37000 is keen on highlighting the crucial role of environmental responsibility in governance practices captured by SDG 13: Climate Action. With climate change presenting considerable threats to businesses and communities, the standard urges organizations to embed environmental considerations into their decision-making as well as governance structures. By adhering to the standard, organizations may adopt policies aimed at enhancing resource efficiency, minimizing carbon emissions, and fostering sustainable supply chains to lessen environmental impact.  Despite our low environmental footprint, thanks to mostly remote work and reduced travel, we have identified other the key environmental practices such as emphasizing the benefits of both, remote interpretation and (balanced) hybrid work arrangements. We are also interested to continue to use sustainable (socially procured) vendors for events and conferences we organize (e.g. Language Advocacy Day).

4. Inclusive Stakeholders' Engagement (ISO 37000) to support SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

A foundational principle and value of ISO 37000, stakeholder engagement, translates into inclusivity of multi-stakeholders’ views and needs. By encouraging creation of policies to address gender imbalances, equal representation, and participation of marginalized groups the standard supports both, SDG 5 and 10.  MCIS responds to inclusivity in various ways, such as creating intentional diversity on board, implementing fair hiring practices and designing rich mentorship/peer-to-peer programs. We also engage stakeholders through multiple channels, from monthly drop-in Social Purpose Governance sessions to a dedicated, standing Social Purpose Governance and Nomination Committee and other regular types of consultations. This type of approach helps to build a balanced organizational culture that genuinely values diverse perspectives, promotes gender equality, and strengthens MCIS's adaptability and innovation.

5. Sustainable Economic Practices (ISO 37000) to support SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth 

One of important principles embedded in ISO 37000 is economic sustainability. By encouraging adoption of governance practices that promote responsible growth, decent work and fair labor standards organizations are encouraged to proactively support local communities, engage in fair-trade and contribute to creation of stable and equitable economic environments.  While SDG 8 is not one of our main priorities, MCIS does promote economic development through creating job and business opportunities for newcomers and immigrants, fair wages, workplace safety, discounted and free professional interpretation training, and sustainable supply chains. In fact, we can say with certainty that for over 35 years, we have been partnering with local organizations to ensure inclusive growth that will ultimately benefit all stakeholders - our employees, participating vendors and businesses, volunteers, beneficiaries and our diverse linguistic communities.

6. Continued Innovation and Resilience (ISO 37000) to support SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure 

Finally, by promoting innovation, adaptability, and resilience the standard is help organizations to think more deeply about benefits of sustainable infrastructure and industrial practices, mostly achieved through improved collaboration and technological advancement. MCIS innovation-enabling governance practices include strategic partnerships with universities, participation in relevant work groups and creation of the internal AI Work Group to foster creative technology adoption. We also aim to strengthen digital capacity of our value chain, implement new technologies responsibly, and measure innovation outcomes. These initiatives, we believe, will help us to maintain our competitive edge while promoting sustainable future of language industry.

Challenges and Opportunities in Integrating ISO 37000 with the SDGs 

While examining pros and cons of adopting the standard in parallel with our commitment to three identified SDGs (3, 10 and 16) we identified the two key challenges:  

• Limited Awareness: Many organizations, including social enterprises, non profits and those distinctly focused on social economy are unaware of ISO 37000 and its link to sustainable development goals. Wider implementation of the standard in Canada and creation of working groups would help us understand how to create and implement governance best practices better. Yet, we are very actively working to raise awareness through our networks and professional associations by sharing resources about the standard, and keep demonstrating its value for organizational governance and sustainability. We actively participate in existing communities of practice and connect to champions in the field, such as Canadian Purpose Economy Project and Social Purpose Institute Alumni while sharing experiences and lessons learned across the #socialeconomy sector.
• Resource Constraints: Smaller entities like ours frequently lack the financial resources or expertise required for full standard implementation. However, we have also developed alternative approaches that align with our size and capabilities such as simplified governance frameworks, leveraging existing resources, and focusing on core principles rather than comprehensive implementation. We've partnered with similar organizations to share costs and expertise, worked on improving our basic governance/ Board management system, and prioritized essential governance elements. Through these adaptations, we feel we will be able to innovate while maintaining effective governance and working within our resource limitations.

Despite being in the initial stages, we are confident that all business and organizations, even smaller ones, by implementing ISO 37000 and integrating the standard with SDGs will gain some significant advantages such as enhanced reputation and market robustness (more effective governance practices enable faster adaption to change to maintain competitiveness) not to mention increased attractiveness for ethical investments (drawing socially responsible investors and broadening funding prospects). 

Conclusion 

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ISO 37000 do complement each other in promoting responsible organizational governance. The SDGs establish global sustainability targets, while ISO 37000 provides practical governance guidance about how to achieve them. We believe that by adopting both frameworks simultaneously, businesses and organizations can enhance operations and develop more sustainable, ethical, and equitable business practices while contributing to global sustainability efforts - from environmental protection to social equity. What do you think?