This results in improved outputs for customers – such as higher growth, modernisation, enhanced corporate governance and more sustainable business practices. This in turn allows companies to operate more efficiently and more resiliently and adopt a longer-term perspective, thereby strengthening their future viability. These improvements create measurable development impacts: decent jobs, increased local income, innovation-driven market and sector development, and a responsible approach to the environment and communities. In the long term, this process is expected to deliver major environmental, economic and social impacts, thus contributing to global sustainability goals.
DEG’s DERa approach allows these development effects to be measured and enables investment decisions to be systematically aligned with development goals. DEG customers’ contributions to the SDGs are recognised at two levels: through SDG mapping, which defines how the DERa indicators relate to the SDG targets, and directly through the customers’ core business. Overall, DEG’s direct customers contribute, to varying extents, to 15 of the 17 SDGs:
SDG contributions of DEG customers
Their contribution to SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth) and SDG 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure) is particularly relevant. They create jobs, promote economic growth and improve quality of life by offering fair working conditions and training opportunities. In addition, companies play a key role in industrial development and promotion of innovation by investing in research and development and driving sustainable technologies. By expanding and modernising infrastructure, they also help to improve vital resources and economic stability. Through responsible actions and sustainable business models, private-sector actors can therefore not only become more successful themselves but also contribute to more sustainable and equitable global development.
