Bridging the gap from exclusion to inclusion to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

As the 2030 deadline for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) approaches, progress remains alarmingly slow, with only about 15-17% of SDG targets on track to be achieved. The situation is particularly challenging for developing countries, which face an annual financing gap of approximately $4.2 trillion to meet the SDGs. Leveraging intellectual property is increasingly vital to accelerate progress toward these goals.

Innovative business models and strategies that align commercial interests with social and environmental impact demonstrate how companies can simultaneously pursue profits and create shared value while addressing global challenges.

The case studies presented, ranging from M-Pesa’s user-driven financial inclusion to Biocon’s affordable biopharmaceuticals, Interface’s circular economy practices, Terrasos’ biodiversity conservation, and DYWIDAG’s sustainable infrastructure solutions, provide compelling evidence of how IPRs can drive sustainable innovation across various sectors and geographies.

The emphasis on open innovation practices, such as collaborations with universities, public institutions, and global partners, underscores the importance of knowledge sharing, tech diffusion and collective action in tackling complex sustainability challenges.

While the current IP framework has driven significant innovation, there is room for improvement to better align it with SDG objectives.

Key IP policy recommendations:

  1. Enhance TRIPS flexibilities and transition periods for developing and least developed countries
  2. Facilitate open innovation approaches and technology transfer from high-income to least developed countries
  3. Promote tiered pricing and voluntary licensing for essential technologies
  4. Encourage patent pools for sustainable development applications
  5. Harmonize IP regulations on right-to-repair, refurbish, and reconstruct across member states to support circular economy principles
  6. Simplify IP protection and registration for informal sectors and small businesses
  7. Establish policies to protect biodiversity, traditional knowledge and cultural expressions
  8. Invest in IP education and capacity building in developing and least developed countries
  9. Develop standardized metrics to measure IP’s impact on SDG progress
  10. Leverage digital tools and AI to improve IP administration

By adopting a human rights and planetary wellbeing lens that encompasses the interconnectedness of human societies and natural ecosystems businesses can unlock the full potential of IPRs and the power of innovation to drive inclusive, flourishing and sustainable growth for the greater good.

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This research project was conducted by MIPLM graduate Urvashi Sata and supervised by Prof. Dr. Alexander Wurzer and Dr. Thibaud Lelong both CEIPI.

Urvashi’s career trajectory spans continents and disciplines, much like the projects she oversees as Group IP Manager at DYWIDAG. Her academic credentials include degrees in IP Law and Business Management. An avid gardener and explorer, her passions mirror her work on sustainable global networks.

 

Here is a presentation of the research project by Urvashi Sata: