The importance of partnerships: UN SDG 17 for a better future
Global challenges such as climate change, worldwide resource scarcity, and social inequality demand solutions that no single stakeholder or country can tackle alone. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015 as the United Nations’ global agenda to advance sustainable development, social justice, and environmental protection worldwide by 2030. Against this backdrop, SDG 17 – the 17th Sustainable Development Goal (Partnerships for the Goals) – was established with the purpose of strengthening international cooperation and accelerating change. The goal promotes international partnerships among governments, businesses, and civil society to distribute funding, technological resources, and knowledge more fairly and more effectively worldwide.
SDG 17: Global Partnerships for Sustainable Development
At its core, SDG 171 is about building global partnerships for effective, sustainable development – partnerships that make solutions and innovations scalable across industries and across borders. The success of this goal depends directly on effective structures, trust, and a systemic connection among all involved. Climate change in particular – and therefore limiting global warming to 1.5°C in line with the 2025 Paris Agreement2 – highlights the urgency of acting together. The international legal foundation is provided by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and international treaties with 198 member states worldwide.
Key takeaways at a glance:
- In the long run, the major challenges of our time can only be addressed through systemic, partnership-based action.
- SDG 17, as defined by the UN and the Paris Climate Agreement, provide the foundation for internationally coordinated action.
- SDG 17 encourages pooling knowledge, technologies, and resources so sustainable development can be effectively advanced worldwide.
- Global partnerships for sustainable development support a fairer distribution of opportunity, know-how, and capital.
- SDG 17 is essential for successful climate policy, mitigating the effects of climate change, and driving global innovation—and is therefore a key component of every other SDG established by the UN.
With its clear focus on SDG 17 and the strategic expansion of sustainable partnerships, MANN+HUMMEL, as an active member of the UN Global Compact and an SDG partner, is helping to actively shape the future.
Diversity as a success factor: Partnerships for greater sustainability
Stable, trust-based partnerships and a diverse set of collaboration models are crucial to implementing SDG 17 and achieving the sustainability goals. As a pioneer, MANN+HUMMEL stands for inclusive and innovative partnerships across the entire value chain.
Cross-sector collaboration
Cross-sector partnerships combine resources and technological expertise. MANN+HUMMEL participates in networks with companies, NGOs, academia, and public authorities to jointly develop innovations and sustainable solutions to complex challenges. Looking beyond industry boundaries is essential for future-proof SDG partnerships and systemic change.
International cooperation and supply-chain partnerships
Globally connected cooperation becomes especially important for a more sustainable future when it is supported by structured information sharing and clear expectations. We view international collaborations and partnerships for sustainable development as a key foundation of our business model and transparently communicate our expectations to our supply chains—from raw material extraction through production to the end customer. The result is stable value chains with a significantly reduced environmental footprint and enhanced resilience.
Funding and start-up collaborations by and with MANN+HUMMEL
Financing and supporting sustainable innovation is especially important to us. We act as a strong investor and partner for start-ups that share our vision: solving real customer problems in cleaner mobility, cleaner air, cleaner water, and cleaner industries – and actively shaping the transition to a more sustainable world. We currently maintain partnerships with 12 start-ups. Our targeted support of projects and the development of a global innovation culture show how global partnerships for sustainable development become reality with MANN+HUMMEL. By mid-2026, this had resulted in fourteen specific implementation projects.
Powered by SDG 17: The benefits of partnerships
Strong partnerships enable a wide range of stakeholders to combine resources, capabilities, and networks to achieve the sustainability goals together. When knowledge, technology, and capital are efficiently connected, synergies emerge that accelerate innovation and make projects market-ready.
The greatest value of partnerships for the goals in line with SDG 17 lies in using shared strengths efficiently. Challenges such as climate change, social inequality, or unequal access to education can only be addressed effectively through close collaboration. Synergies are created when different perspectives and capabilities come together in focused, high-impact cooperation.
Innovation happens when business and academia work closely together. Trust, clear contracts, and strong networks secure international knowledge transfer. Partners such as Fraunhofer Venture or Max-Planck-Innovation accelerate technological breakthroughs and protect intellectual property – a central objective for SDG partnerships.
Scaling makes innovations market-ready, lowers costs, and reduces emissions. Through partnerships with key industry players, MANN+HUMMEL brings technologies into international application and creates stable, profitable solutions for industry, the public sector, and research.
As a reliable SDG partner, we embed these principles across all areas of our business. Whether in an airport terminal, an operating room, or a vehicle – our filtration solutions are valued worldwide for their high quality. As a market player, we engage in the joint development and implementation of innovation projects, support partners from the initial idea through to series production, and contribute decades of experience in planning, coordinating, and efficiently delivering projects around the world.
Through MANN+HUMMEL Ventures, we are also actively shaping the future of filtration:
- Investments & syndication: Direct investment in innovative start-ups and technologies.
- Joint Development Agreements (JDAs): Partnerships to develop breakthrough solutions for filtration and sustainability.
- Commercial & strategic partnerships: Efficient collaboration when bringing new innovations to market.
- Market research & insights: Joint analysis of technology trends and industry dynamics – of central importance for the sustainable development of partnerships for achieving the sustainability goals.
- Research Innovation Actions: Joint industrial research projects with leading research organizations and institutes.
We promote and strengthen partnerships. Together with other stakeholders, we create scalable, adaptive sustainability strategies across the entire value chain.
SDG 17: Challenges and solutions
Implementing SDG 17 is often not easy. Partnerships for the goals are complex and frequently come with tensions, because differing interests, power dynamics, and transparency issues can make collaboration difficult. For partnerships to be sustainably effective, these challenges must be addressed clearly and met with systematic approaches. In our role as a reliable SDG partner, we focus on professionalism, open communication, and measurable benchmarks – and we are valued internationally for this. For example, we are represented on the Executive Board of the Nonwovens Institute3 and the Research Advisory Board of GVT4.
Whether the topic is developing sustainable partnerships or implementing innovation projects: conflicts of interest and a lack of transparency are part of everyday life in strategic collaborations.
Key problem areas
- Conflicts of interest & misaligned objectives: Governments, companies, and NGOs sometimes set different priorities. Finding the right balance between business and sustainability interests is a core challenge.
- Lack of transparency: Unclear decision-making processes, undisclosed objectives, or hidden financial flows can seriously undermine trust. Missing or withheld data makes it harder to realistically assess the partnership.
- Power imbalances: Stronger players can dominate decisions and disadvantage smaller partners.
- Political influence: Business interests can distort political decisions and compromise sustainable development goals – and vice versa.
To build global partnerships for sustainable development in practice, clear structures, binding rules, and transparent processes are essential.
Effective measures
- Clear governance & compliance: Binding codes of conduct, anti-corruption measures, and transparent compliance standards build trust.
- Full transparency & accountability: Disclosure of conflicts of interest, financial flows, and decision paths through publicly accessible reports, registers, and global standards for information quality.
- Participatory decision-making: Disadvantaged groups and smaller companies are actively and equally included in decision-making processes.
- Global standards & metrics: Mitigating climate change is the greatest challenge of our time: CO₂ as a “global currency” and internationally comparable KPIs enable an objective, transparent assessment.
Strengthening partnerships in the spirit of SDG 17 only works with clear measurability. Choosing KPIs is also a strategic step: the more ambitious a company sets its goals and documents progress, the more it shapes external perception.
Our partnership culture is widely recognized and honored by customers, suppliers, and industry stakeholders:
- “Outstanding Supplier” Award 2025 from CNHTC Group and “Excellent Quality Partner” 2024 from FAW-Volkswagen
- Renowned “Supplier Recognition Award” as well as repeated recognition as one of the most sustainable suppliers as part of Walmart’s “Project Gigaton”
- CLEPA Innovation Award 2025 for MANN-FILTER’s sustainability initiative
- PARTSLIFE Environmental Award 2025 in the “Circular Economy” category for the “#MANN-FILTER Go Green: Naturally better” initiative
These awards demonstrate that MANN+HUMMEL actively embraces its role as an SDG partner, sets measurable standards, and – together with sustainability-minded stakeholders – establishes genuine collaborations and partnerships that advance the development goals.
Successful sustainability partnerships by MANN+HUMMEL
For us, implementing SDG 17 partnerships to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals is a core commitment and everyday practice. At MANN+HUMMEL, partnership-based approaches become tangible – whether in global initiatives, EU projects, or our own supplier network. Together with strong partners, we create new solutions and systematically advance sustainable development through partnerships. This is also reflected in our 2024 sustainability report.
By joining the UN Global Compact (UNGC), MANN+HUMMEL clearly committed to complying with the UNGC’s ten principles – from human rights and environmental protection to anti-corruption. We align ourselves with international standards and contribute through committees and projects. In doing so, we underscore our role as a responsible SDG partner and adhere to international standards for responsible corporate governance.
As a partner in Horizon Europe research projects, MANN+HUMMEL is actively involved in innovations that promote sustainable transformation:
Sustainable business models require building – and recognizing – committed, sustainability-minded business partners. More than 50 companies from 17 countries are part of the MANN+HUMMEL supplier network. As recognition, we regularly present Supplier Awards for outstanding performance in various categories – a clear commitment to our global partnerships, achieving sustainable development goals, and global technology transformation.
Over the years, we have demonstrated why partnering with MANN+HUMMEL stands for sustainable development. Multiple Gold ratings from EcoVadis as well as top scores in the international CDP rating highlight our strong commitment to sustainability and responsible supply chains. This places us among the world’s leading companies in sustainability.
Future outlook for partnerships and sustainable development
The future of global partnerships will increasingly be shaped by digitalization and innovative business models. Efficient digital solutions and innovative finance models strengthen international partnerships and collaborations in the spirit of SDG 17, unlock potential, and help achieve sustainable development goals together.
Digital platforms as a driver of shared solutions
Digital transformation is a key enabler for scaling and managing sustainable initiatives. It connects companies, organizations, and stakeholders worldwide, enables rapid data exchange, and supports network and scaling effects. This creates new constellations of players and innovative forms of collaboration among sustainable business partners – a key prerequisite for global partnerships and sustainable development.
One practical example is Catena-X5, which is used by MANN+HUMMEL:
- Catena-X is a promising, open, standardized, and collaborative data ecosystem for the automotive industry that connects manufacturers and suppliers across the entire value chain.
- The platform enables cross-company interactions based on interoperability and data sovereignty.
- Catena-X sets standards for data exchange, e.g., for the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF). This standardized, verified data from certified partners forms the basis for a high-quality calculation of the PCF. The PCF captures all greenhouse gas emissions a product causes over its entire life – from the first raw materials through to disposal. This calculation shows how environmentally friendly a product is and highlights the lifecycle phases where emissions can be reduced most effectively.
This enables participants to efficiently capture, manage, and validate sustainability-relevant data – and, as connected SDG partners, make a measurable contribution towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
To achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, MANN+HUMMEL will continue to rely on fair, transparent collaboration, technological progress, and modern business decisions. Are you interested in a respectful, sustainable partnership with us? Are you looking for innovative, sustainable filtration solutions that protect your employees, machines, vehicles, and buildings?
