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APM's progress against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) provide the blueprint for a better and more sustainable future, and everyone can contribute.  

They are a set of goals to tackle major world issues by 2030. 17 goals (and 169 subgoals) were chosen in 2015 by all 193 UN member states.   

At APM, we have been tracking our progress against the goals in three areas:  

  • Our everyday practice 
  • The content and support we give to membership and the profession more broadly 
  • How we use our networks for impact  
E SDG Poster UN Emblem PRINT 2020

The projects professional’s role 

Project professionals must often overcome significant hurdles while embedding sustainability in all projects and when delivering sustainability projects.   

That said, it's clear the profession can be a much bigger part of the solution. A recent survey of project professionals shows: 

  • For 31%, sustainability is no longer a peripheral concern but a central strategic pillar
  • For 53%, embedding sustainability in projects is no longer a choice
  • For 73%, there is acute awareness of how important sustainability is to achieving long-term success

APM has been tracking its progress against four UNSDGs

Goal 4 - Quality education

We can show progress against subgoal 4.4: ‘By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship’.  

APM impact:

  • Qualifications: over 235,000 have sat an APM exam since 2002 
  • Apprenticeships: since 2011, we have had 22,000 project management apprentices  

Goal 5 - Gender equality

We can show progress against subgoal 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’.   

APM impact:

  • Over half our board is female  
  • Our two most recent board chairs are female 
  • Our two most recent presidents are female  

Goal 12 - Responsible consumption and production

We can show progress against subgoal 12.5: ‘By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse’.  

APM impact: 

  • We are committed to become a carbon neutral organisation by 2050, if not sooner  
  • Our carbon footprint was measured at 217.24 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2022 

Goal 17 - Partnerships for the goals

We can show progress against subgoal 17.17: ‘Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships’.   

APM impact: 

Through our climate literacy partnership with the Construction Industry Council (CIC) we are aiming to:   

  • Build climate literacy across all disciplines of the construction industry 

  • Promote a common language for sustainability in the built environment  

  • Support the development of a globally freely accessible online training programme  

Not long now... 

The UNSDGs will run until 2030. Until that point, we will continue to track our progress against the goals, so do check back for updates.