  Citation: Lukin, E.; Krajnovi´ c, A.; Bosna, J. Sustainability Strategies and Achieving SDGs: A Comparative Analysis of Leading Companies in the Automotive Industry. Sustainability 2022, 14, 4000. https:// doi.org/10.3390/su14074000 Academic Editors: Ionica Oncioiu and Sorinel Căpus , neanu Received: 26 February 2022 Accepted: 25 March 2022 Published: 28 March 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). sustainability Review Sustainability Strategies and Achieving SDGs: A Comparative Analysis of Leading Companies in the Automotive Industry Edi Lukin, Aleksandra Krajnovi´ c and Jurica Bosna * Department of Economics, University of Zadar, Splitska 1, 23 000 Zadar, Croatia; edi.lukin@gmail.com (E.L.); akrajnov@unizd.hr (A.K.) * Correspondence: jbosna@unizd.hr Abstract: Sustainability as a growing trend in the 21st century has encompassed almost the entire world economy, including the automotive industry. As a result of this trend, automotive companies are adjusting their strategies and operations to contribute to the achievement of the concept of sus- tainability at the global level. By turning to sustainability, the automotive industry is experiencing perhaps the biggest transition in its history. This paper therefore deals with the research of sustainable strategies of leading companies in the automotive industry. The paper aims to examine the extent to which the world’s leading companies in the automotive industry meet certain SDG UN goals. The method of the qualitative comparative analysis using the desk method alternative provided the information on sustainability strategies and their fulfilment within the top five companies in the automotive industry according to the Interbrand scale from 2021, considering the UN Agenda 2030 sustainability goals. The results of the analysis showed that the observed companies in the automotive sector meet most of the goals of sustainable development of the UN with their sustain- ability strategies, which indicates that they are successfully adapting their business operations to modern business requirements. This also makes their brands green, hence the application of the principle of sustainability also affects the strength of their brands, adding “extended customer value”. The paper contributes not only to the development of the framework and elaboration of business models of sustainability in the automotive industry, but also to the development of further theoretical and empirical research in this field and the conceptualization of the principles of sustainability in this area. Keywords: sustainable development strategies; circular economy; sustainable development goals; automotive industry; brand sustainability 1. Introduction The concept of sustainable development can be interpreted in different ways, but essentially it is an approach to development that strives to balance different and often competing needs against a rising awareness of environmental, social, and economic lim- itations. Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs [1]. At the beginning of the 21st century, few words have gained as much popularity as the word “sustainability”, especially in the social economy, which can be briefly described as: “the ability to sustain a function or process” [2]. “Over 95% of CO 2 emissions into the air come from natural sources, such as organic decomposition or fires or volcanic activity. However, these 95% of emissions are absorbed and balanced naturally through photosynthesis and other forms of decomposition, and the problem remains the 5% that are caused by human activity and for which our environment is not dimensioned. The consequence of “these miserable” 5% is warming, increasing the greenhouse effect and further warming of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere” [3] (p. 12). Sustainability 2022, 14, 4000. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14074000 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability