The very basis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), includes economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection.  Everyone has an important role to play in order to further achieve these goals; from individual people to the businesses, to the government. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) gives access to opportunities to complete the SDGs ; however the two should not be confused. 

The basis of CSR addresses problems locally, from ethical manners within to the economic practice of the firm. Meanwhile, SDGs have to do with inequalities across the globe, economic growth as a whole, industrialization, nature, and so on. The difference being scale and meaning, while one focuses on the wellbeing and morality of a firm, the other strives to tackle persisting problems across the globe in an orderly fashion.

Both CSR and SDGs can coexist together, the former contributing to the latter, ushering in a new age of wellbeing. Although one focuses on the inner workings of a business and being socially responsible, it may very well be the driving force towards completing the goals set by the UN. 

In these trying times especially, the pandemic has pushed CSR into a new direction, seeing more action being taken, of which can directly contribute to the goals.  With the setback caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, little can be done to counter the lingering effects of the virus, however with CSR shifting from the donation to action, we can hopefully expect a change for the better that persists even after the lockdown. 

Citation

http://csrhub.ptools.net/The-Relationship-between-CSR-and-Sustainable-Development-Goals/