Frequently Asked Questions
Course FAQs’
TBL and its partners are providing courses to support the growing need to set targets and take action towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. As part of this, we believe sustainability education is essential to ensuring businesses and their employees understand key sustainable development topics and issues. Making change happen, requires collective effort and understanding towards sustainable development and education is the key to making that happen.
The courses will be updated in line with any significant changes made to sustainable development topics to ensure learners have the most accurate and up-to-date information to learn from. This may include updating the courses based on changes to (but not limited to); targets, legislation, frameworks, standards and initiatives.
You can expect to see one to two courses rolled out per month. Courses will be released using a phased approach throughout the year. Each quarter we aim to roll out 3-4 courses based on primary and secondary research conducted by TBL to understand what courses learners would like to see.
Courses are aimed at anyone interested in learning about key sustainable development areas outlined by the UN 2030 agenda. Courses will primarily be beginner level so you do not need prior knowledge or a background in sustainability to complete these courses. Additionally, Support the Goals will offer intermediate and advanced courses alongside beginner courses for individuals wanting to develop their existing sustainability knowledge further.
Yes, your course progress will be saved at the stage you get up to. Courses have been designed so you can complete them in your own time.
No. We do not have formal assessments to complete a course. To test your knowledge, we include a quiz at the end of the course.
Yes, once you complete a course you can download a certificate of completion in the certificate section of your account. To receive the certificate you have to complete all the course sections and the quiz at the end of the course.
Course length will vary per course. However, you can expect that beginner courses will be around 30 minutes, intermediate courses will be around 60 minutes, and advanced courses will be around 120 minutes.
Support FAQs’
You will receive your report/rating within 4 weeks of purchase.
Your rating lasts 12 months. You will receive a renewal 2 months before to subscribe to the rating for a further 12 months.
Our rating is incredibly simple and objective. Better yet, there are no complex questionnaires to complete – we do all the work!
We’re not aiming to benchmark the quality or depth of your sustainability efforts – we’re simply rewarding you for sharing key steps in your journey to support the goals.
TBL is proud to support students and young people gaining experience in sustainability. Much of our research is conducted by volunteers and reviewed by TBL. Learn more about how we support students and young people here.
Not every Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) is relevant to every business. However, certain sustainability topics require action from all organisations. By examining the disclosure requirements of various reporting frameworks and researching the sustainability topics most commonly adopted by businesses, we’ve identified the following five as being of utmost relevance to all: net zero, biodiversity, waste, gender equality, and living wage. A summary of our justification and reasoning is provided below.
Based on common standards and certifications:
- SASB and GRI: When considering the sustainability topics most frequently deemed important across various industries by both the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), approximately half of these top-tier topics (specifically, 52%) directly address the five key areas emphasised by the SDG Ambition.
- ESRS: The European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) have identified 10 core sustainability topics. A significant majority of these topics (specifically, 70%, which is 7 out of 10) are directly linked to the five SDG Ambition criteria. The specific ESRS topics that align are: Climate change, Water and marine resources, Biodiversity and ecosystems, Resource use and circular economy, Own workforce, Workers in the value chain, and Business conduct.
- B Corp: For companies pursuing B Corp certification, there are 7 key impact areas they need to address. A strong majority of these requirements (specifically, 71%, which is 5 out of 7) directly relate to the five SDG Ambition criteria. These B Corp impact areas are: Fair work, Justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, Human rights, Climate Action, and Environmental stewardship and circularity.
Based on the relevance of sustainability topics for business:
- Based on TBL customers’ priority SDGs or highly material topics:
- 93% prioritise net zero
- 40% prioritise biodiversity
- 80% prioritise waste
- 80% prioritise gender equality
- 87% prioritise living wage
- Based on a cohort of FTSE 100 companies’ priority SDGs or highly material topics:
- 100% prioritised net zero
- 67% prioritised biodiversity
- 87% prioritised waste
- 87% prioritised gender equality
- 87% prioritise living wage