Implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for the Systems Engineering of Multinational Corporations

Abstract

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015 by 193 countries. They can be characterised as sustainability ‘requirements’ for the global system. This paper provides a vision of how Multinational Companies (MNCs) are likely to experience the SDGs and their implications for Systems Engineering (SE) of the Enterprise. The SDGs do not have the status of international law and may be implemented differently in different countries over the period to 2030. MNCs will face choices about how they wish to comply today in anticipation of future requirements. Thereby, they also have the opportunity to avoid systems sustainability failures later on. This paper presents an initial approach to implementing the SDGs in the form of business requirements. The research will pave the ground for the development of a systematic framework for the adoption, monitoring and assessment of the SDGs in an SE context.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Systems Engineering

“…Current contributions have included the peer-reviewed conference papers [5] and [6]. Future contributions will include a journal paper on the third DSRM cycle using a Delphi process with the SDGs in the context of AIRBUSâĂŹ ALM facility development.…”

Systemic Insights on the Integration of UN Sustainable Development Goals within the Norwegian Salmon Value Chain

“…Systems engineering (SE) is defined as a methodical, multi-disciplinary approach for the design, realization, technical management, operation, and retirement of a system [20]. SE is a discipline of knowledge that can help businesses to provide significant social, environmental, and economical global benefits by turning the policy intentions into requirements for consistent delivery through enterprises and practical systems [21]. SE has been an active supporting discipline for the implementation of the SDGs through providing effective approaches and toolsets to reframe the SDGs [22].…”