While our study shows that science-based agendas have clear benefits for stimulating action on the SDGs, developing an agenda based on science is easier said than done. It can be difficult for scientists and managers to collaborate because they rely on different knowledge systems and have different aims and interests. The WBCSD faced many challenges while collaborating with the Stockholm Resilience Center scientists, such as conflicting professional values and interests related to sustainability change pathways. Meeting the targets outlined by the scientists would require some industries to fundamentally change their business models and products, creating friction between researchers and business leaders. But these tensions were alleviated by the involvement of an intermediary organization, the World Resources Institute, in setting the science-based targets. (The institute is a trusted partner of the WBCSD with long-term experience operating at the interface of business and science.) The science foundation built in Action2020 led to future strategy projects, including Vision2050, which provides  âthe business community with comprehensive, reliable and ambitious guidance on how it can lead the transformations the world urgently needs for 9+ billion people to live well, within planetary boundaries, by 2050.”
Several companies have used the planetary boundaries framework as a basis for corporate action. H&M, the fashion retailer, seeks to help the textile industry to operate within the boundaries by implementing a circular economy approach, involving the use of more environmentally friendly fibers and textiles. Houdini, a Swedish sportswear company, used the framework to understand the impacts of its operations and to prioritize future sustainability actions. Its first sustainability report âassessed the impact of our fiber use â from understanding how sheep farming and grazing affect the impact that wool garments have on biological diversity in local ecosystems, to its impact on climate change on the global scale, for example.â Â
Science-based corporate approaches are also starting to accelerate action on the climate change front. The Science-Based Targets initiative gives guidance on setting emissions reduction targets to avoid the worst effects of climate change, and 1,640 companies are following the advice. The initiative has developed scenarios and pathways aimed at limiting warming to 1.5°C, in line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s SR15 report. Based on these pathways, it provides resources and models to enable companies to set their targets.
The initiative is an inspiring example of aligning corporate action with sustainability science. Climate action is, however, just one of the 17 SDGs and it is arguably one of the easier goals to align with science, because the science is clear and companiesâ climate impact is measurable. Corporate approaches to managing and restoring biodiversity are also gaining momentum, and will likely soon be grounded in science-based guidance on biodiversity practices. However, the social SDGs pose a particular challenge because they are difficult to measure quantitatively.