Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
The world’s oceans – their temperature, chemistry, currents and life – drive natural processes that make the Earth habitable for humankind. Careful management of this global resource is critical to our future.
This SDG has several 2030 targets to which every company can contribute. These targets aim to prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities; sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration; minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification; effectively regulate harvesting and end destructive fishing practices; and eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Every Future-Fit Business must avoid slowing down progress toward this SDG by:
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Using water in an environmentally responsible and socially equitable way and actively encouraging suppliers to do the same.
This ensures that a company does not emit harmful water discharge which could end up in marine environments.
Learn more about Break-Even Goal 02 -
Using natural resources that derive from sources that respect communities, ecosystems and animals.
This ensures that any natural resources the business relies on (e.g. those embedded in its products) are obtained without degrading the environment (e.g. maintaining fish stocks and the aquatic ecosystems that support them).
Learn more about Break-Even Goal 03 -
Procurement of goods and services does not hinder progress.
The environmental and social footprints of a company’s supply chain affect society’s progress towards many of the global challenges that the SDGs seek to address. By taking steps to increase the fitness of its supply chain, the company encourages actions that support the related SDGs.
Learn more about Break-Even Goal 04 -
Eliminating operational emissions that harm people or the environment and actively encouraging suppliers to do the same.
This ensures that business operations do not emit harmful substances into watersheds or oceans (e.g. preventing fertilizer run-off into rivers).
Learn more about Break-Even Goal 05 -
Operational waste is eliminated and actively encouraging suppliers to do the same.
This ensures that the business does not negatively impact marine environments via the emission of operational waste into watersheds or oceans.
Learn more about Break-Even Goal 07 -
Ensuring operations do not encroach on ecosystems or communities and actively encouraging suppliers to do the same.
This ensures that the physical presence of business operations does not undermine the health of marine or coastal ecosystems (e.g. protecting coral reefs and natural coastal defences).
Learn more about Break-Even Goal 08 -
Ensuring products do not harm people or the environment.
This ensures that products do not release substances that (a) directly impact people’s health, or (b) indirectly do so by disrupting ecosystems (e.g. eliminating plastic micro-beads from consumable products, due to their propensity to end up in oceans).
Learn more about Break-Even Goal 17 -
Designing products to be repurposed.
This ensures that products and their packaging do not end up making their way into the world’s oceans at their end of life.
Learn more about Break-Even Goal 19 -
Investing in assets that do not hinder progress.
The environmental and social footprints of a company’s investments affect society’s progress towards many of the global challenges that the SDGs seek to address. By taking steps to increase the fitness of its financial assets, the company encourages actions that support the related SDGs.
Learn more about Break-Even Goal 23
Any Future-Fit Business may actively speed up progress toward this SDG by:
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Ensuring others depend less on inadequately-managed natural resources.
Ensuring marine resources are adequately managed prevents aquatic ecosystem degradation and protects future resource availability.
Learn more about Positive Pursuit 05 -
Ensuring others generate fewer harmful emissions.
Preventing harmful emissions that end up degrading aquatic ecosystems increases the health of these ecosystems and supports the future availability of marine resources.
Learn more about Positive Pursuit 08 -
Ensuring harmful emissions are removed from the environment.
Neutralizing the effects of harmful emissions that end up degrading oceans increases the health of these ecosystems.
Learn more about Positive Pursuit 09 -
Ensuring others generate less waste.
Reducing the generation of waste which might leak into waterways and oceans, reduces associated negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems.
Learn more about Positive Pursuit 10 -
Ensuring waste is reclaimed and repurposed.
Reclaiming past waste that has leaked into waterways and oceans restores the health of aquatic ecosystems.
Learn more about Positive Pursuit 11 -
Ensuring others cause less ecosystem degradation.
Preventing the degradation of aquatic ecosystems protects biodiversity and reduces overconsumption of marine resources.
Learn more about Positive Pursuit 12 -
Ensuring ecosystems are restored.
Restoring aquatic ecosystems protects biodiversity and future resource availability.
Learn more about Positive Pursuit 13 -
Ensuring more people have access to economic opportunity.
Providing small-scale artisanal fishermen access to markets will help protect our oceans.
Learn more about Positive Pursuit 18 -
Strengthening infrastructure in pursuit of future-fitness.
Developing quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure removes barriers to wellbeing and protects the health of the environment.
Learn more about Positive Pursuit 21 -
Strengthening governance in pursuit of future-fitness.
Ensuring governance is accountable, participatory, responsive, responsible and transparent removes barriers to wellbeing and protects the health of the environment.
Learn more about Positive Pursuit 22 -
Strengthening market mechanisms in pursuit of future-fitness.
Overcoming technological, knowledge and incentive barriers through the use of market mechanisms removes barriers to wellbeing and protects the health of the environment.
Learn more about Positive Pursuit 23 -
Aligning social norms to increasingly support the pursuit of future-fitness.
Ensuring social norms align with socially and environmentally responsible behaviour removes barriers to wellbeing and protects the health of the environment.
Learn more about Positive Pursuit 24
Next steps
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