Sustainable Development Actions: What Each Sector of Society Can Do

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are at the heart of the global agenda for sustainable development. They envision a world free of hunger and poverty, where the fundamental conditions for human prosperity (healthy ecosystems, a stable climate and a clean environment) are maintained.

One of the most important of these actions is choosing renewable natural resources over fossil fuels.

This vision should guide governments, private companies, NGOs and ordinary people in every country to work for a better world. It means that carrying out this agenda, or taking action for sustainable development, requires coordination among the different sectors of society. What’s more, certain roles can only be played by certain sectors. Here are some examples of actions to achieve sustainable development, by sector of society:

Although most governments, with some justification, aim to achieve the greatest possible economic development, as a proxy for public well-being, that is not enough. Even economic growth, which in itself is positive for sustainable development, often has consequences or externalities that undermine these sustainability goals. This happens, for example, with vehicle pollutant emissions, the loss of biodiversity and habitats, the inequality associated with non-inclusive technological development, and so on.

That is why it is so important for governments to aim not only for economic development but also for development that is sustainable.

The policies governments can implement to achieve these goals fall into four areas of action:

1. Using the price system to encourage individuals to take full responsibility for the environmental degradation caused by their decisions. Examples: taxes on gasoline and garbage, or subsidies for the use of clean energy.
2. Reforming government decision-making processes to allow more comprehensive approaches that take into account the consequences of those decisions. Examples: laws requiring government programs to consider their environmental effects, and making sure public policies are consistent with the SDGs.
3. Using and encouraging technology to decouple economic development from environmental degradation. Examples: developing mass transit systems and increasing funding for research on ecosystems, their value and the effects of human activity on them.
4. Strengthening the contribution of international trade and investment to sustainable development worldwide. Examples: international cooperation programs and removing regulations that harm international trade and the environment.

Companies play a critical role in the SDGs because of their economic power. The question now is not whether companies should apply the SDG guidelines, but how they should apply them. Some ways they can contribute to sustainable development are:

• Taking the SDGs into account when developing their internal and external processes.
• Determining which SDGs are the highest priority and setting long- and short-term objectives and targets related to them.
• Creating indicators that measure the company’s performance in reaching these objectives and targets.
• Promoting corporate social responsibility programs.
• Donating to and supporting NGOs or programs related to sustainable development.

NGOs play a fundamental role in driving sustainable development, especially at the international level. Many regulations or bans that have benefited the SDGs have come about thanks to pressure from NGOs.

They put pressure not only on governments but also on companies and individuals to change their processes or habits for the benefit of the environment or the community at large. Using information technology, NGOs report on what companies are doing so that consumers can make better-informed purchasing decisions, for example by exposing pollution or the destruction of ecosystems caused by the development of an agro-industrial product, the use of child labor or animal abuse.

NGOs also run their own projects, in which they conduct research, protect species, teach environmental conservation, provide access to key technologies that improve quality of life in communities in great need, and so on.

More: Environmental organizations

Finally, as individuals, we can contribute to meeting the SDG targets through our decisions. The main action within our control is changing our consumption habits, although we can also donate to NGOs, share information about environmental damage, or pressure companies and governments to take measures that take the environment into account.

When it comes to our consumption decisions, we can recycle, drive less and use public transportation or a bicycle more, avoid littering, save electricity, or use sustainable products such as cloth bags, rechargeable batteries, reusable water bottles or LED light bulbs. More: sustainable consumption

More:
Sustainable development projects
UN guide

If you want to put the SDGs into practice in your daily life, the United Nations recommends the AWorld app through its ActNow campaign. With it you can:

• Get suggested everyday actions to reduce your carbon footprint or save water and energy.
• Track your habits and see their impact.
• Take part in group challenges, get tips and take quizzes.

More:
What is sustainable development?

Sources:
OECD
UN

Last updated: September 26, 2026