SDGs management, which incorporates SDGs initiatives into management strategies and implements them, requires ambidextrous management that secures profits through core business activities and solves issues in local communities. In March 2022, the Small and Medium Enterprise Support Agency released the “Fact-finding Survey on SDGs Promotion by SMEs: Questionnaire Survey Report”, and awareness of SDGs has increased to 86.0%. However, the understanding of SDGs is 38.8%, and it is revealed that only 11.6% of SMEs are working on SDGs. In July 2018, the Ministry of the Environment announced the “ESG Finance Council Proposals”, which requested regional financial institutions to work on ESG financing. Based on this result, regional financial institutions have started ESG financing for SMEs and support services for SMEs to work on SDGs.
In this paper, we consider 77 Bank, Ltd., which is implementing SDGs support services as a companion runner for SMEs, as an example of a regional financial institution. In addition, as a practical example of SDGs management, we are considering a small and medium-sized company “T Company” that runs an electric and communication business. “T Company” develops a community-based area strategy through the “House Help Corps” project, utilizes variable profit and loss statements, and formulates short-term profit plans while grasping marginal profit. On top of that, we have linked the SDGs targets that correspond to the basic management policy of the company, and are creating a system to permeate SDGs initiatives among employees. In addition, we have hired experts to promote DX and are working on integrating management accounting information, including organizational reforms. For SMEs, SDGs management is a means to expand business opportunities, and its implementation is an urgent issue that cannot be avoided.
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