Breakthrough Innovation for the SDGs

Drive breakthrough impact on the SDGs through new mindsets, business models and disruptive technologies.

Why Breakthrough Innovation?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are universal, interconnected and exponential in nature. They present a roadmap for creating systemic financial, social and environmental value. Achieving the SDGs by 2030 has the potential to not only generate peace and shared prosperity on a healthy planet, but also opens up USD $12 trillion in market opportunities. Exponential goals require transformational solutions that go beyond incremental innovation. Companies need to raise their sustainability ambitions and act decisively to: 1) adopt new mindsets, 2) build and trial new business models, and 3) develop and deploy disruptive technologies. These actions are how we define “breakthrough innovation,” and will position companies to overcome market disruptions and pursue growth opportunities, while at the same time helping to reverse global warming and radically improve lives.

Take Action on Breakthrough Innovation

The UN Global Compact Breakthrough Innovation for the SDGs Action Platform brings together business, technologists, thought-leaders, UN Agencies, entrepreneurs and policy-makers to inspire new approaches to corporate sustainability leveraging new business models and disruptive technologies such as, Circular Economy models, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. By interacting with a community of diverse stakeholders, companies will develop a roadmap for enhancing the performance of sustainability initiatives while developing a model for Breakthrough Innovation that can be used as an example of leading practice globally.

Join the Breakthrough Innovation platform to:
  • Connect to a global community of entrepreneurs, technologists, and thought leaders to inspire new approaches to sustainability and innovation
  • Find opportunities to innovate for markets of the future while increasing positive contributions to society
  • Build a roadmap for enhancing the performance of sustainability initiatives and innovation processes with the pillars of Breakthrough Innovation (new mindsets, disruptive technologies and new business models); and,
  • Contribute to the development of a framework for creating breakthrough impact on the SDGs through innovation- a practical guide designed to support innovation and R&D teams on using the SDGs as a driver for new product and service development.

Platform Activities

Over the course of a year, participants in the Breakthrough Innovation platform will have exclusive access to a series of curated content and activities including:

Breakthrough Innovation Knowledge Series
In-Person Workshops
Framework for Breakthrough Impact on the SDGs

Participate in a series of interactive webinars designed to provide you with a foundational knowledge of how to harness disruptive technologies and new business models for sustainability.

Topics covered:

February: Developing a Breakthrough Mindset

March: Harnessing New Technologies and Business Models

April: Carbon Productivity

Explore new approaches to sustainability innovation while building a roadmap for integrating disruptive technologies and new business models into sustainability and innovation initiatives.

Explore new approaches to sustainability innovation while building a roadmap for integrating disruptive technologies and new business models into sustainability and innovation initiatives.

Platform Partners





Platform Patron Sponsors

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