intermediate · 220–260 min
How to Choose the SDGs Where Your Organisation Can Actually Make a Difference
Seventeen goals feel like a menu. So the team picks the comfortable ones, puts logos on a slide, and nothing changes in how the business runs.
About this session
Most SDG sessions fail in the same way: they start from values instead of evidence. People vote for the goal that sounds best, not the one their organisation can move. This flow forces the opposite order. First map where the organisation already touches the goals, then prioritise with a method that makes trade-offs explicit, then leave with named owners. The goal is a list of two or three SDGs the organisation can defend, not a poster with seventeen.
Why it works
Simultaneous-reveal prioritisation prevents anchoring on the most senior voice, and starting from an evidence map of current positive AND negative impact keeps the choice honest. An organisation that claims every goal has chosen none.
What you’ll walk away with
- A ranked choice of 2-3 SDGs backed by evidence from your own operations
- One 90-day project per chosen goal
- A named owner and report-back date per goal
Who it’s for
Leadership teams, Sustainability leads, Facilitators
Frequently asked questions
How many SDGs should an organisation choose?
Two or three. The workshop enforces this constraint from the first minute: a list you can defend beats a poster with seventeen logos.
What if the team only picks flattering goals?
The evidence round asks for each goal: what proof do we have, and who outside this room would agree? Goals where you currently cause harm often hold the most leverage - if they all got removed, the evidence bar was too low.
Do we need the physical SDG cards?
The free SDG Action Cards toolkit works printed or on-screen. Physical cards make the mapping step noticeably more engaged in-person.
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