UN Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) consist of 17 interrelated goals that form the blueprint for a sustainable future. These goals work to improve health and education, reduce inequality, spur economic growth, and tackle climate change. Our values and lending practices align very closely with the SDGs and we are committed to contributing toward the achievement of these goals.

Beneficial State's Alignment with SDGs

Sustainable development goals - Beneficial State Impact

Beneficial State’s values and lending practices align very closely with the SDGs’ goal of a sustainable development that works for all people — in all dimensions of economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection. Below, we highlight how our work aligns with the SDGs as we continue our commitment to contributing toward the achievement of these goals.

We don’t have plan B because there is no planet B.

— Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General

  • Goal 1: No Poverty

    By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance.

     

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Banking Systems Change: Policy Advocacy
    • Commercial Lending: Business Ownership and Structure

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why ENDING POVERTY matters?

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  • Goal 2: Zero Hunger

    End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

     

     

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Category: Healthy Food

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why ZERO HUNGER matters?

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  • Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being

    Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

     

     

     

    TARGET #3.9

    By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Category: Health & Wellbeing (Non-food)
    • Program: Clean Vehicle Assistance Program

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING matters?

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  • Goal 4: Quality Education

    Ensure inclusive and equity education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

     

     

    TARGET #4.C, INDICATOR 4.C.1

    Proportion of teachers in: (a) pre-primary; (b) primary; (c) lower secondary; and (d) upper secondary education who have received at least the minimum organized teacher training (e.g. pedagogical training) pre-service or in-service required for teaching at the relevant level in a given country.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Category: Education & Youth Development
    • Program: Deposits, Savings, and Treasury Services

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why QUALITY EDUCATION matters?

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  • Goal 5: Gender Equality

    Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

     

     

     

    TARGET #5.5

    Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Category: Social Justice, Diverse and Distributed Ownership
    • Internal Corporate Practices
    • Banking Systems Change: Policy Advocacy
    • Commercial Lending: Supporting nonprofits and social enterprises focused on diverse and distributed ownership.

     

    TARGET #5.A

    Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Category: Social Justice, Diverse and Distributed Ownership
    • Internal Corporate Practices
    • Banking Systems Change: Policy Advocacy
    • Commercial Lending: Supporting nonprofits and social enterprises focused on diverse and distributed ownership.

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why GENDER EQUALITY matters?

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  • Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

    Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

     

     

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission category: Health & Wellbeing (Non-Food)

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION matters?

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  • Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

    Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

     

     

    TARGET #7.2

    By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Category: Environmental Sustainability
    • Program: Clean Vehicle Assistance Program
    • Commercial Lending: Our Earth Services team focuses on lending to renewable energy production projects.

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY matters?

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  • Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

    Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economy growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

     

     

    TARGET #8.1

    Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Banking Systems Change: Advocating for greater immigrant rights, nondiscrimination, and consumer protections.
    • Services: Consumer Lending, Deposit, Savings, Treasury

     

    TARGET #8.3

    Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Category: Economic, Business & Job Development; Making, Manufacturing & Production; Small Businesses
    • Commercial Lending: Small Business Loan Program

     

    TARGET #8.7

    Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Internal Corporate Practices: Procurement Policy

     

    TARGET #8.8

    Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Banking Systems Change: Developing banking standards to include worker empowerment elements.

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH matters?

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  • Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

    Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

     

     

    TARGET #9.3

    Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Categories: Economic, Business & Job Development; Making and Manufacturing; Small Independent Business
    • Commercial Lending

     

    TARGET #9.4

    By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Category: Environmental Sustainability
    • Commercial Loan: Earth Services team, Opportunity Fund partnership

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why INDUSTRY, INNOVATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE matters?

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  • Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities

    Reduce inequality within and among countries.

     

     

     

    TARGET #10.1

    By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Categories: Beneficial Financial Services
    • Internal Corporate Practices
    • Banking Systems Change: Advocate for living wages.

     

    TARGET #10.2

    By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Category: Social Justice
    • Internal Corporate Practices
    • Banking Systems Change
    • Commercial Lending

     

    TARGET #10.3

    Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Banking Systems Change: Advocate for stronger CRA and other Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion bank standards
    • Program: Clean Vehicle Assistance Program

     

    TARGET #10.4

    Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Internal Corporate Practices
    • Banking Systems Change

     

    TARGET #10.5

    Improve the regulation and monitoring of global financial markets and institutions and strengthen the implementation of such regulations.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Banking Systems Change

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why REDUCED INEQUALITIES matters?

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  • Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

    Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

     

     

    TARGET #11.1

    By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Categories: Affordable Housing
    • Commercial Lending

     

    TARGET #11.A

    Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, per-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Portland Framework Building Development

     

    TARGET #11.C

    Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Categories: Environmental Sustainability
    • Portland Framework Building Development

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES matters?

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  • Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

    Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

     

     

     

    TARGET #12.1

    Implement the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Categories: Environmental Sustainability
    • Program: Clean Vehicle Assistance Program

     

    TARGET #12.5

    By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Internal Corporate Practice: Employee-led Culture Committee (Green Team)

     

    TARGET #12.6

    Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Internal Corporate Practice: Measuring and decreasing our carbon footprint

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION matters?

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  • Goal 13: Climate Action

    Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

     

     

     

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Categories: Environmental Sustainability
    • Program: Clean Vehicle Assistance Program

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why CLIMATE ACTION matters?

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  • Goal 14: Life Below Water

    Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

     

     

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Categories: Environmental Sustainability

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why LIFE BELOW WATER matters?

    Infographic

  • Goal 15: Life on Land

    Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

     

     

    TARGET #15.2

    By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Mission Categories: Environmental Sustainability
    • Portland Framework Building Development

     

    TARGET #15.A

    Mobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Commercial Lending: Earth Services team

     

    TARGET #15.B

    Mobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives to developing countries to advance such management, including for conservation and reforestation.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Commercial Lending: Earth Services team

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why LIFE ON LAND matters?

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  • Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

    Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

     

     

    TARGET #16.6

    Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Banking Systems Change: Transparency of our bank and banking standards

     

    TARGET #16.B

    Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Internal Corporate Practices
    • Banking Systems Change: Advocate for stronger CRA and other Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion banking standards

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why PEACE, JUSTICE, AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS matters?

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  • Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

    Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

     

     

    TARGET #17.1

    Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection.

    Aligns with our following mission category, program, product, or services:

    • Banking Systems Change: Ensuring banks, as big corporation, pay fair share of taxes

     

    RESOURCES:

    Why PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS matters?

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