Introduction: The Sustainable Development Goals and the Future of Corporate Sustainability

Abstract

Martinuzzi and Schönherr provide a comprehensive summary of the evolution of corporate sustainability, spanning the range from philanthropy, via the systematic implementation of eco-efficiency and management systems, product differentiation and innovation, to contemporary strategies that directly link core business and sustainability impacts. They highlight successes and limitations of these strategies and discuss implications for the future of corporate sustainability, which they view as impact-oriented, collaborative, data-intensive, and systemic. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals are introduced as a business-relevant, universally applicable framework that may guide companies in better measuring and managing their impacts on sustainability in light of this expanded understanding of corporate sustainability.