Sustainability – the capacity to support, maintain or endure; it can indicate both a goal and
a process. Sustainability can be maintained at a certain rate or level, as in sustainable
economic growth. It can also be upheld or defended, as in sustainable definitions of good
corporate practice
Social sustainability x environmental sustainability
Other terms for sustainability: industrial ecology, CSR, business ecology, Cradle to Cradle,
green capitalism, eco-efficiency, social and environmental responsibility, the triple bottom
line, etc.
Evolution of sustainability
1960s after WWII
Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – to promote highest
levels of sustainable economic growth in member countries and drive the global economy
toward the twin goals of increased employment and higher standards of living
The Club of Rome – Limits to Growth report: economy built on the continuous expansion of
material consumption is fundamentally not sustainable.
1972 UN conference on the Human Environment: civilization is exhausting to resources
EKC - Environmental Kuznets Curve
In EKC it is believed that during early industrialization, economies use material resources
more intensively until a threshold is reached after which structural changes in the economy
lead to a progressively less intensive use of materials. It is believed that higher income levels
and economic growth will lead to environmental improvement or at least reduced
environmental degradation.
Green revolution
Refers to research, development, and technological initiatives that increased agricultural
production worldwide, particularly in the developing world. Late 1950s; helped the global
food supply keep pace with population growth
Social sustainability refers to issues concerned with social equality, poverty, and problems
associated with justice. Equity considerations are primary in order to have the resources to
reduce poverty and increase well-being in developing countries.
Definition of sustainability by EEA: concept and strategy enabling sufficient delinking of the
“use of nature” from economic activity needed to meet human needs to allow it to remain
within carrying capacities; and to permit equitable access and use of the environment by
current and future generations.
Economic sustainability is linked to well-being in relation to financial indicators such as GDP
and is characterized by underlying economic approaches to the range of social issues
attempting to capture the values embedded in human and natural capital.
, Eco-efficiency refers to the idea of doing more with less. Compared to early industrial
products, modern alternatives are able to generate more value by being produced on a
much larger scale with less impact and using less material.
Eco-effectiveness advocates for the production of goods nad services by focusing on the
development of products and industrial systems that maintain or enhance the quality and
productivity of materials rather than depleting them.
The circular economy model uses the functioning of ecosystems as an exemplar for
industrial processes, emphasizing a shift towards ecologically sound products and
renewable energy.
Cradle to cradle (C2C) considers not just minimizing the damage, but proposes how
contemporary waste and depletion of resources can be avoided by adhering to cyclical
‘waste=food’ principle.
Key terms: Brundtland Report; business ethics; business sustainability; the circular
economy; Cradle to Cradle; eco-effectiveness; eco-efficiency; economic sustainability;
environmental sustainability; limits to growth; social sustainability; sustainable
development; the triple bottom line.
a process. Sustainability can be maintained at a certain rate or level, as in sustainable
economic growth. It can also be upheld or defended, as in sustainable definitions of good
corporate practice
Social sustainability x environmental sustainability
Other terms for sustainability: industrial ecology, CSR, business ecology, Cradle to Cradle,
green capitalism, eco-efficiency, social and environmental responsibility, the triple bottom
line, etc.
Evolution of sustainability
1960s after WWII
Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – to promote highest
levels of sustainable economic growth in member countries and drive the global economy
toward the twin goals of increased employment and higher standards of living
The Club of Rome – Limits to Growth report: economy built on the continuous expansion of
material consumption is fundamentally not sustainable.
1972 UN conference on the Human Environment: civilization is exhausting to resources
EKC - Environmental Kuznets Curve
In EKC it is believed that during early industrialization, economies use material resources
more intensively until a threshold is reached after which structural changes in the economy
lead to a progressively less intensive use of materials. It is believed that higher income levels
and economic growth will lead to environmental improvement or at least reduced
environmental degradation.
Green revolution
Refers to research, development, and technological initiatives that increased agricultural
production worldwide, particularly in the developing world. Late 1950s; helped the global
food supply keep pace with population growth
Social sustainability refers to issues concerned with social equality, poverty, and problems
associated with justice. Equity considerations are primary in order to have the resources to
reduce poverty and increase well-being in developing countries.
Definition of sustainability by EEA: concept and strategy enabling sufficient delinking of the
“use of nature” from economic activity needed to meet human needs to allow it to remain
within carrying capacities; and to permit equitable access and use of the environment by
current and future generations.
Economic sustainability is linked to well-being in relation to financial indicators such as GDP
and is characterized by underlying economic approaches to the range of social issues
attempting to capture the values embedded in human and natural capital.
, Eco-efficiency refers to the idea of doing more with less. Compared to early industrial
products, modern alternatives are able to generate more value by being produced on a
much larger scale with less impact and using less material.
Eco-effectiveness advocates for the production of goods nad services by focusing on the
development of products and industrial systems that maintain or enhance the quality and
productivity of materials rather than depleting them.
The circular economy model uses the functioning of ecosystems as an exemplar for
industrial processes, emphasizing a shift towards ecologically sound products and
renewable energy.
Cradle to cradle (C2C) considers not just minimizing the damage, but proposes how
contemporary waste and depletion of resources can be avoided by adhering to cyclical
‘waste=food’ principle.
Key terms: Brundtland Report; business ethics; business sustainability; the circular
economy; Cradle to Cradle; eco-effectiveness; eco-efficiency; economic sustainability;
environmental sustainability; limits to growth; social sustainability; sustainable
development; the triple bottom line.
