What is Sustainability?
Sustainability can be described as each of us doing our part to build the kind of world—economically, environmentally and socially—that we want to live in, and one that we want our children and grandchildren to inherit. It means becoming aware of all interconnections—visible and invisible—in which our day-to-day choices affect the intricate balance of social, economic and ecological systems.
The United Nations’ World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission) introduced the far-reaching implications of the term, “sustainable,” in their widely cited report, Our Common Future (1987):
| “Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable—to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” |
Why sustainability matters
Respected scientists and a growing number of political and business leaders around the world acknowledge that human existence as we know it is on a collision course—headed toward a collapse of the earth’s capacity to provide resources needed to sustain life. According to sustainability leaders Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and Hunter Lovins (Natural Capitalism, 1999):
| “While industrial systems have reached pinnacles of success, able to muster and accumulate human-made capital on vast levels, natural capital, on which civilization depends to create economic prosperity, is rapidly declining and the rate of loss is increasing proportionate to gains in material well-being.” |
Economist, E.F. Schumacher, wrote in 1973:
| “The modern industrial system, with all its intellectual sophistication, consumes the very basis on which it has been erected. To use the language of the economist, it lives on irreplaceable (natural) capital, which it cheerfully treats as income. Fossil fuels are merely a part of the natural capital, which we steadfastly insist on treating as expendable, as if it were income. If we squander our fossil fuels, we threaten civilization; but if we squander the capital represented by living nature around us, we threaten life itself. A businessman would not consider a firm to have achieved viability if he/she saw that it was rapidly consuming its capital. Modern man does not experience himself as a part of nature but as an outside force destined to dominate and conquer it. He even talks of a battle with nature, forgetting that, if he won the battle, he would find himself on the losing side. We must thoroughly understand the problem and begin to see the possibility of evolving a new life-style, with new methods of production and new patterns of consumption: a life-style designed for permanence.” |
Sustainability from a capitalist perspective
“Capital” is a reserve of something we use to sustain life or make it better. Financial capital is money in the bank that we aren’t required to use to meet day-to-day needs. It is a “rainy-day fund” for use when times are tougher, or when we wish to make a long-term investment beyond the limitations of our income stream, for example when we buy a house or vehicle.
In our capitalist economy, we seek to build financial capital for ourselves and our families to sustain a desired level of financial security over the long haul, and to increase personal wealth. This often means engaging in the following kinds of responsible actions simultaneously:
- Reducing expenses (to build savings)
- Managing risk (so all eggs aren’t in one basket, and we aren’t wiped out by one company’s stock price tanking or a severe storm)
- Investing in capital that will grow in value (putting money where it grows faster than the inflation rate, real estate, well-managed enterprises, etc.)
When individuals, some of whom are leaders of a businesses as well as education, human service and government organizations, develop an expanded view of prosperity and security now and in the future, they begin to notice additional forms of “capital” required to live. They understand that in addition to financial capital, we also depend on social capital and natural capital to “sustain a desired level of long-term security and to increase personal ‘wealth’," which includes, but is not limited to, monetary wealth.
They recognize that building and sustaining social capital and natural capital requires the same kind of vigilance and responsible action we assume when we focus our attention on building and sustaining financial capital—cutting expenses, managing risk, and investing in valuable assets. Holistic sustainability strategies aim to do just that in an integrated and synergistic way.
Working toward sustainable outcomes requires holistic and long-term thinking: maintaining constant awareness of the needs of people today and in the future, and developing personal and business strategies and actions consciously designed not to “use up” the earth’s reserve of natural capital upon which life depends.
Sustainable strategies in business and organizations focus on the “triple bottom line,” seeking outcomes that are socially and environmentally responsible as well as economically sustainable. In fact, socially and environmentally responsible business decisions are proving to be the most profitable. For example, reducing energy and materials costs can lead to more competitive pricing and thus increase the number of satisfied customers.
Regardless of how we think about the term sustainability, translating the idea to action often requires a transformative shift in human behavior. We must first acknowledge the sustainability challenge, and then find meaningful ways to take responsibility for choosing a sustainable course of action.
How others have described sustainability
- "No net per capita loss of natural or human capital" (Christopher Juniper and L. Hunter Lovins, Natural Capitalism, Inc. 2003)
- "Preservation of prosperity opportunity through investment in financial, built, natural and human capital" (Christopher Juniper, 2002)
- "Our commitment to sustainable development means balancing economic progress with environmental care and social responsibility" (Royal Dutch Shell, 2002)
- "Creating shareholder and social value while decreasing the environmental footprint along the value chains in which we operate" (Dupont Corp., 2001)
- "Managing for the 'Triple Bottom Line' of economy, society and environment" (John Elkington, SustainAbility, 1999)