The one struggle of being motivated to search for the most impactful solutions for the SDGs is that you want to read everything that is being published on the topic.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of reports, research, analysis and articles out there, because there just isn’t enough time in the day to read every hot new report. Between near-constant recommendations of outstanding research, new sequels and a terrifyingly long list of bookmarked Internet long reads, it can be stressful to choose what you should pick up next.  

To make it easier for you, we have compiled a list of important BCtA reports and tools from the past two years that you should add to your early 2018 reading list.

This list is just a few of the useful reports published recently by BCtA and our partners. They will make you rethink what inclusive business means and the impact they can have, offer advice to disruptors of all ages and sectors, and reinforce the fact that commercial sustainability and development impact can indeed go hand in hand. 

Here are our top 5 reports that you should read or re-read to ensure a long-lasting contribution to the global goals:

Uncharted waters: Blending value and values for social impact through the SDGs

Building on the existing knowledge base of inclusive business being a critical contributor toward the SDGs, BCtA, in collaboration with the Deloitte, IICPSDand UNDP, launched this report in September 2016, which examines how to start, develop and optimize inclusive business based on their current degree of readiness and maturity. It is the first report of its kind providing guidance for companies to better understand how their inclusive businesses can leverage the 2030 Global Agenda. This publication outlines how inclusive business can advance SDGs and what opportunities SDGs open for inclusive business.

Measuring Impact: How Business Accelerates the Sustainable Development Goals

This report, jointly launched withGRIin September 2016, provides a first look at how governments are engaging with the private sector, and how business tools, impact measurement and sustainability reporting can be leveraged to measure, monitor and accelerate business contributions to the Global Goals. The report is a response to two complementary trends: increased efforts by businesses to capture their sustainability impacts; and rising interest from the public sector in capturing business contributions to the SDGs.

New Horizons: Accelerating Sustainable Development through Inclusive Business in Kenya

Sustainable Inclusive Business Kenyapartnered with BCtA to conduct a research on the state of inclusive business in Kenya. The report focused on the challenges and opportunities Inclusive Businesses face in Kenya and the extent to which they engage with the 17Sustainable Development Goals. This report highlights opportunities for inclusive business across five sectors: financial services, food and beverages, healthcare, infrastructure and skills building and education. It also shares insights gained from the survey, interviews and workshops on how inclusive business can be scaled to accelerate achievement of the SDGs by 2030.

New Horizons How Inclusive Business is Helping Achieve the SDGs in the Philippines

This publication demonstrates how Inclusive Business can be engaged in the Philippines to contribute to achieving national development priorities and the SDGs. This publication draws its main findings from a series of workshops and interviews conducted by thePhilippine Business for Social Progress(PBSP), the largest corporate-led organization in the Philippines promoting Inclusive Business. Representatives from 53 companies and over 100 stakeholders participated in the workshops, which focused on major challenges and opportunities for private sector engagement in the food and agribusiness, skills building and education, infrastructure and financial services sectors.

New Horizons: Accelerating Sustainable Development through Inclusive Business in Colombia

(in Spanish)

The report finds that with over a quarter of all Colombians living below the poverty line, efforts to tackle poverty and improve living, working and health conditions must be stepped up if Colombia is to achieve its SDG commitments. Supporting this, the report, published in partnership with CECODES, is intended as a tool for key inclusive business stakeholders in Colombia, including the private sector, government, cooperation agencies and development organizations, to gain a better understanding of the ways in which inclusive business can be promoted, positioned and strengthened. It provides recommendations on how business models can be replicated and scaled sustainably, and how diverse actors can support and promote these models, fostering better alignment on all efforts to achieve the SDGs in Colombia.