The Sustainable Development Goal 17 paints a picture of a beautiful future. The ultimate mission of this set of goals is to foster the well-being of the world. They serve as a call to action and a north star for everyone who cares about people and the planet.
If the social and environmental benefits of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aren’t enough to inspire your business to get behind them, then think about the ancillary benefits they can bring to your organisation. Making them part of your business strategy can open new opportunities, optimise your business resources, and create a competitive advantage.
What exactly is Sustainable Development Goal 17?
Sustainable Development Goal 17 is a set of seventeen global goals set out by the United Nations. Each SDG represents a big goal—tackling everything from ending poverty to reversing climate change to erasing inequalities in all forms.
- No poverty: End poverty everywhere.
- Zero hunger: End hunger and achieve food security.
- Good health and well-being: Ensure good health and well-being for everyone.
- Quality education: Provide access to inclusive and equitable quality education.
- Gender equality: Achieve gender equality and empower women and girls everywhere.
- Clean water and sanitation: Make clean water and sanitation available for everyone.
- Affordable and clean energy: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy.
- Decent work and economic growth: Promote sustainable economic growth and productive employment for all.
- Industry, innovation, and infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure and foster innovation.
- Reduced inequalities: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
- Sustainable cities and communities: Make cities and settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
- Responsible consumption and production: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
- Climate action: Take urgent action to combat climate change.
- Life below water: Conserve oceans, seas, and marine resources.
- Life on land: Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of our land.
- Peace, justice, and strong institutions: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies and institutions.
- Partnerships for the goals: Revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
Partnerships for the goals: an all-hands approach
Sustainable Development Goal 17 represents a monumental change that can sometimes feel very far off from where we are today. And we only have 7 years left to reach it. None of us can do this alone.
To make this future a reality, people, governments, businesses, and grassroots groups must all work to drive change—together. While Sustainable Development Goal 17 emphasises global partnerships, we know that the value of local partnerships can’t be underrated.
At ActionFunder, we’re banking on the role that partnerships play in creating a healthier and more prosperous future for everyone. That’s precisely why we’re catalysing partnerships by bringing businesses and grassroots leaders together to create measurable impact.
3 inspiring corporate and non-profit partnerships
Companies and non-profits are teaming up across the country and the world to tackle everything from climate action to the cost of living crisis. We’re seeing everyone from small business owners to global corporations build creative non-profit giving programs that directly contribute to the SGDs.
Here are a few of the biggest campaigns that caught our attention.
Lush Charity Pot
Cosmetics retailer Lush sells a special line of products called Charity Pot. 100% of the proceeds (minus taxes) of the Charity Pot product sales go into the Charity Pot fund, which provides grants to small, grassroots charities working in the areas of animal protection, human rights, and the environment.
Associated SDG goals
- Gender equality
- Reduced inequalities
- Climate action
- Life on land
- Peace, justice, and strong institutions
2021 campaign impact
- £3,400,000+ donated
- Grants awarded to 800+ organisations
Learn more about Charity Pot’s impact.
Patagonia 1% for the Planet®
As part of its commitment to save the planet, outdoor retailer Patagonia contributes 1% of its annual net revenue to nonprofit charitable organisations that promote environmental conservation and sustainability.
Associated SDG goals
- Climate action
- Life on land
- Life under water
Campaign impact
- 705 grants in FY 2021
- $13M+ funded in FY 2021
- $161M since launching in 1985
Read Patagonia’s 2021 Impact Report.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s has a long-standing commitment to “address food poverty by helping everyone eat better.” They’ve been partnering with non-profit organisations since 1994 to redistribute surplus food and support community projects across the UK.
Associated SDG goals
- No poverty
- Zero hunger
- Quality education
- Reduced inequalities
- Sustainable cities and communities
Campaign impact
- Raised and donated £38.4 million in 21-22
- Distributed over 24 million meals via 3,945 charities
- Supported numerous organisations, including Comic Relief, Children in Need, Computers for Kids, and FairShare
Learn more about Sainsbury’s impact.
Are you ready to play a part in making the 17 SDGs a reality?
We love these examples of creating partnerships to make change happen! If you’re inspired to help make the SDGs a reality, there are thousands of organisations that need your partnership.
Non-profits in our network are currently seeking £16 million in funding for projects that could benefit 6 million people in the UK. The average fund request last year was £3,200. You can explore projects here.
Partnering with these organisations can be as easy as 1-2-3.
- Create a fund on ActionFunder. Decide how much you want to donate, the types of causes you want to support, and what geographic area you want to serve.
- Be instantly matched with aligned non-profits in your area.
- Choose which projects to fund and approve them through your ActionFunder dashboard.
Once you fund a project, you’ll get updates about the work in action, plus a full impact report, so you can share and celebrate the results. 
Our new impact reporting tool provides qualitative and quantitative measurement of social and environmental outcomes–all mapped to the SDGs–at the touch of a button!
Here’s to creating a more sustainable future—together.
