United Nations’ Agenda 2030 envisions 17 goals to be achieved by a global community of 193 states. Collaboration between governments, NGOs and private businesses is essential in translating the development goals into policies and implementing change. The aim of this article is to reflect on the challenges of sustainable development partnerships between the public and the private sector. How are the Agenda 2030 partnerships different from previous public-private collaborations? Can profit and sustainability go together? And how can universal goals be translated in local contexts? Ethnographic research could bring an integrated perspective on these questions.