People, Planet and Profit: The Private Sector as a Catalyst to Achieve the SDGs in Mauritius

Since 2015, the United Nations (UN) has advocated for a more active engagement of the private sector in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  More and more businesses around the world have started to embed the SDGs into their corporate strategies and are regularly reporting on their progress.  A recent survey on business sustainability trends highlights that sustainable development has become a key priority for companies.  For instance, 96% of the world’s leading 250 companies are committed to sustainability reporting while 64% of them identified climate-driven changes as a major risk for their business activities.

How does the situation unfold in Mauritius? What role can the private sector play in support of the country’s efforts to achieve the SDGs? What are the main lessons learned from early adopters of sustainability in the country? 

Those are the questions that were discussed during the 1st ever CEO Breakfast Meeting on the SDGs organized by the United Nations Country Team in Mauritius and the UN Global Compact Local Network for Mauritius and the Indian Ocean on 31 October 2022 in Port Louis.  Through a panel discussion with Mr Arnaud Lagesse, the Group Chief Executive Officer of IBL Ltd; Mr Jean Michel Ng Tseung, the Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB) Group’s Chief Executive Designate; and Mr Mehul Bhatt, the Chief Strategy and Sustainable Development Executive at Rogers Group, leading CEOs and Captains of Industry in Mauritius shared their thoughts about the business ecosystem for sustainability in the country. 

This dialogue between the UN in Mauritius and the Private Sector was the first of a series of consultations with the Business Community in the country in the context of the design of the new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2024 – 2028.  This was also an opportunity to emphasise the 10 principles guiding the partnership between the United Nations and the private sector.

The Triple Bottom Line of Business Sustainability in Mauritius

From the outset of the discussion, it was evident that business leaders in Mauritius are committed to sustainability. The question is no more whether companies should go down the road of aligning their business model with the SDGs but rather on how to do so.  The private sector has the ability and the innovative drive to develop the solutions needed to address both national and global challenges.  Mauritius, in that regard, is currently a living laboratory of ideas and initiatives for embedding the SDGs in businesses.  However, as highlighted by the participants, sustainability should not just be about business opportunities – Profit, but also about creating shared value – People and Planet. 

This can only be achieved if the SDGs become the DNA of corporate strategy and not just a side activity for businesses.  For instance, the MCB Group’s sustainability programme, Success Beyond Numbers, has now become company’s purpose while the Rogers’ group, guided by its Sustainability Charter, has recently integrated sustainable development into its business identity and  purpose for ‘Meaningful Change’.  Similarly, the IBL Group has launched in 2022 its new Sustainability Strategy – “Building a Legacy Together” which aims to put Sustainability at the heart of the Group Strategy.

Transitioning from sustainability initiatives to strategy requires a change from the business-as-usual approach.  Thus far, the focus of sustainability in businesses has been on doing “less harm” in view to minimize the social and environmental impacts of business activities.  However, if businesses are to add People and Planet to their respective corporate strategy, they will also need to reflect on how to do “more good” with profits being seen as a means to a more inclusive, sustainable and prosperous society, rather than just an end. Based on the experience of the early private sector adopters of sustainability in Mauritius, the success factors for such a shift are:

1. Strong Leadership and Vision for setting the direction and guiding the transformation process
2. Engagement and Ownership of all employees to drive the change and make it a success
3. Being Focused and Getting the priorities right about the relevant SDGs on which the business may have positive impact on
4. Innovation and Disruption to create the space and momentum for sustainability in the business decision making process
5. Collaboration and Partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to make the transition as smooth as possible and also the results more impactful.

Partnerships for the Goals

Achieving the SDGs also requires a move away from the old, siloed approach of addressing common challenges.  As businesses embark on their sustainability journey, a public-private dialogue is crucial to ensure that synergies between public and private sector initiatives, as stressed by the participants of the CEO Breakfast Meeting on the SDGs.  In that respect, building on its convening power, the UN, with the support of the UN Global Compact Network Mauritius & Indian Ocean, has a key role to play in bringing all the key stakeholders together for an integrated and harmonized approach to sustainability in the country. 

In addition, the UN can also mobilize the necessary expertise and tools to support the business community in their sustainability endeavor through for instance: The Climate Ambition Accelerator Program, the Business & Human Rights Accelerator Program & the CEO Water Mandate, among others.