The quest for achieving United Nations Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs): Infrastructure and innovation for Responsible production and consumption

Purpose: This paper aims to provide some insights on how progress towards United Nations Sustainability Development Goals – SDGs- can be achieved by organisations. The focus is on two different contexts of UK and Brazil with a specific focus on SDG 9: “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation” and SDG 12: “Responsible consumption and production”. Design/methodology/approach: This is a viewpoint paper with drawing from literature mainly from UN documents, UK and Brazilian governments and practitioner publications. Findings: A future research agenda is proposed, with four suggestions: (1) understand the context of SDGs, (2) Prioritise SDGs according to sector, (3) develop a common language, (4) Better understand how digital technologies can help sustainability and (5) system thinking application to SDGs. Research limitations/implications: The paper provides a viewpoint, so one of the limitations is that no data that has been specifically collected or analysed for the questions proposed. Nevertheless, it provides a good discussion point. Practical implications: The implications to practice, managers can place their own practical experience on progress towards SDGs with the future research agenda proposed in this paper. Social implications: SDGs are concerned with all aspects of sustainability including social development. This paper provides some insights on the different context that develop and developing countries observe. Originality/value: This paper highlights the potential different challenges and opportunities that the implementation of SDGs 9 and 12 poses in both developed and developing economies.