A global approach
How we’re supporting U.N. sustainability goals
Businesses big and small can help the United Nations meet its Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. Costco has incorporated several of these SDGs in our sustainability commitment.
An ambitious global effort
The SDGs were adopted by the U.N. in 2015 as a universal call to end poverty, protect the planet and find ways for people around the world to live in peace and prosperity. The SDGs list 17 integrated focus areas to meet these goals, with a target date of 2030.
The goals are ambitious and diverse. They address poverty, hunger, health, education, gender equality, clean water, sanitation, the climate, economic growth and more in communities around the world. Water is an especially important part of all these goals.
Costco’s role
At Costco, we have identified seven of these goals that closely relate to our business and where we feel we can make a real difference. These involve how we source products and how we operate our warehouses and depots around the world..
In terms of sourcing, we’re committed to decent work conditions and economic growth for the people who produce, process, harvest and transport our products. We’re supporting programs that responsibly source everything from seafood to wood, paper and fiber-based products.
For operations, we are committed to improving water use efficiency and reducing water waste. We also want to continually decrease the amount of waste going from our warehouses to land fills. And we want to decrease packaging waste through a variety of smart steps, such as reducing the amount of packaging overall and increasing the recyclability and compostability of packaging.
The next steps
We have set benchmarks that can track our progress toward meeting these SDGs. We want to increase our waste diversion, the number of certified Kirkland Signature™ pulp and paper products, and the volume of Kirkland Signature products sourced from Marine Stewardship Council–certified fisheries or Aquaculture Stewardship–certified farms. We want to decrease the amount of plastic packaging used in our Kirkland Signature products and our global carbon emissions.
The U.N. calls these SDGs an urgent call for action by all countries and companies in a global partnership. As a global company, we’re committed to playing a role in that effort.
