The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The SDGs: What are they?
UrbanThink is a pioneer in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals regarding the environment. Let’s start by defining sustainable development. It is a concept of development that is integrated into a long-term perspective. This perspective includes social, economic, and environmental constraints.
The SDGs succeed the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) and broaden the challenges we must face, including combating all forms of inequalities, addressing climate change, etc. The MDGs were built around 8 goals adopted by the UN in 2000.
There are 17 goals among the SDGs published by the UN in 2015: They also include a significant number of interconnected areas in the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. They contribute to unifying priorities and aspirations in terms of sustainable development.
1. Eradication of poverty
2. Fight against hunger
3. Access to health
4. Awareness and education
5. Gender equality
6. Clean water and sanitation
7. Clean, reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy
8. Access to decent jobs
9. Industry, sustainable innovation, and resilient infrastructure
10. Reduction of inequalities
11. Sustainable cities and communities
12. Establishing responsible consumption and production patterns
13. Combatting climate change
14. Life below water
15. Life on land
16. Justice and peace
17. Partnerships for the goals
The SDGs call on all businesses to advance sustainable development through their investments, the solutions they develop, and the best practices they adopt. In short, to reduce their negative impacts while improving their positive contributions to the sustainable development agenda.
SDGs in Our Company
4. Awareness and Education: We consider awareness and education as essential tools for promoting change. We take our advisory role in emission reduction and sustainable space planning to heart.
6. Clean Water and Sanitation: We have established ThinkCities to contribute to the strengthening of resilient infrastructures, improving water management practices, and raising awareness on the importance of clean water and sanitation.
7. Clean, Reliable, Sustainable, and Affordable Energy: We advocate for a transition to renewable energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We encourage the use of solar energy in our projects with Athénergie. ThinkCities, for its part, aims to optimize energy consumption in all the projects we develop with it.
9. Industry, Sustainable Innovation, and Resilient Infrastructure: We believe in the necessity of an ecological transformation of industry and infrastructure to promote sustainable development. We promote innovation in our projects to integrate more environmentally-friendly technologies and practices.
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities: By promoting sustainable urban design, green mobility, equitable access to basic services, and community participation, we contribute to the creation of dynamic and viable communities. The collective self-consumption that we warmly recommend fosters the creation of a community among different stakeholders.
12. Establish Responsible Consumption and Production Patterns: We firmly believe in the necessity to rethink our approach to consumption and production in order to reduce our ecological footprint. Athénergie advocates for self-consumption rather than relying on the electric grid. We believe it is ideal to promote short supply chains that align with the preservation of our planet.
13. Fight Against Climate Change: We position ourselves at the forefront of the fight against climate change, integrating energy efficiency practices and the use of renewable energies in all our projects.
14. Aquatic Life: We integrate practices for the preservation and sustainable management of water in our projects carried out with ThinkCities. We actively work to reduce water consumption.
15. Terrestrial Life: We actively work to preserve biodiversity and protect fragile ecosystems in all urban development activities. By adopting a sustainable planning approach, we promote the creation of green spaces and the protection of natural habitats.
17. Partnerships for Achieving the Goals: We firmly believe that achieving the SDGs requires a collaborative approach. We work in partnership with local organizations, universities, and other sector stakeholders to share knowledge, exchange innovative ideas, and implement joint initiatives for a sustainable future.
A successful implementation of the SDGs contributes to:
Taking people out of poverty, thereby ensuring market growth everywhere in the world
Ensuring that the global economy respects planetary boundaries regarding the supply of essential resources such as water, fertile soils, metals, and minerals, thus preserving the natural resources on which business production depends
Promoting responsible and well-governed institutions as well as transparent and regulated financial and trading systems, thereby reducing the costs and risks of doing business.
We are committed to integrating sustainability principles into all our decisions and actions. We are dedicated to continuing to innovate and promote environmentally friendly practices, in order to actively contribute to the achievement of the SDGs and the creation of more sustainable and resilient territories for tomorrow.
