Bee Sustainable: Sustainability isn’t only about the environment
Written by Julia Gralki. Photo courtesy of Charlotte Beck.
In 1983, the United Nations nominated Go Harlem Brundtland, a former Norwegian prime minister, to lead the newly founded World Commission on Environment and Development (also called Brundtland Commission). After making efforts to improve living standards through industrialization, many countries around the world still suffered extreme poverty. The Brundtland Commission came to the conclusion that economic development at the expense of the environment and human rights did not create widespread prosperity.
Four years later, the United Nations published the report “Our Common Future,” also known as the Brundtland Report. The report’s goal was to encourage global collaboration on sustainable development. It also defined sustainability as a development that meets “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
While it is a common misconception that sustainability is just about the environment, there is actually a lot more to the definition of sustainability. In general, there are three categories of sustainability: people, planet, profit – also called the 3 Ps of sustainability or Triple Bottom Line.
Social sustainability (people) describes the impact that organizations have on their stakeholders, including employees, customers, and communities. It also means that universal human rights and basic necessities are available to all people. Community leaders have to ensure labor, cultural and personal rights that are free from discrimination.
Ecological sustainability (planet) ensures that the planet’s environmental systems, biodiversity and natural resources are protected for the sake of future generations. This also includes reduction of carbon emissions, waste and use of toxic materials.
Economic sustainability (profit) is often misunderstood as the financial profit that a company makes. However, a company’s economic impact is much more than just financial. The original definition described economic sustainability by its impact on society, thus societal profit.
While sustainability is often considered the long-term goal of achieving environmental balance, the term is not limited to the environment. Sustainable development is also about creating social environments where people can prosper and fulfill their needs without sacrificing nature.
