Sustainability and Sustainable Development - What is Sustainability and What is Sustainable Development?
The definition of sustainability is not nearly as simple as it might seem, likewise with the definition of sustainable development. This is best illustrated by the fact that there are over 200 different definitions to answer what is sustainable development.
However, the most common definition was defined by the Brundtland Commission in 1987, who documented the sustainable development definition as:
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
This implies that we need to look after our planet, our resources and our people to ensure that we can live in a sustainable manner. Furthermore, that we can hand down our planet to our children and our grandchildren to live in true sustainability.
What is Sustainability? The Three Pillars of Sustainability
But what is sustainability? The definition of sustainability may be taken further and it is widely accepted that to achieve sustainability we must balance economic, environmental and social factors in equal harmony. This may be illustrated with a sustainability Venn diagram, as shown below:
This is also known as the three pillars of sustainability.
So to achieve true sustainability we need to balance economic, social and environmental sustainability factors in equal harmony. These may be defined as:
- Environmental Sustainability: Environmental sustainability means that we are living within the means of our natural resources. To live in true environmental sustainability, we need to ensure that we are consuming our natural resources, such as materials, energy fuels, land, water…etc, at a sustainable rate. Some resources are more abundant than others and therefore we need to consider material scarcity, the damage to environment from extraction of these materials and if the resource can be kept within Circular Economy principles. We need to aspire to net zero carbon and then move beyond to ultimately achieve climate positive principles. Environmental sustainability should not be confused with full sustainability, which also need to balance economic and social factors.
- Economic Sustainability: Economic sustainability requires that a business or country uses its resources efficiently and responsibly so that it can operate in a sustainable manner to consistently produce an operational profit. Without an operational profit a business cannot sustain it’s activities. Without acting responsibly and using its resources efficiently a company will not be able to sustain it’s activities in the long term.
- Social Sustainability: Social sustainability is the ability of society, or any social system, to persistently achieve a good social well being. Achieving social sustainability ensures that the social well being of a country, an organisation, or a community can be maintained in the long term.
Taking these three pillars of sustainability further if we only achieve two out of three pillars then we end up with:
- Social + Economic Sustainability = Equitable
- Social + Environmental Sustainability = Bearable
- Economic + Environmental Sustainability = Viable
Only through balancing economic + social + environmental can we achieve true sustainability and a truly circular economy.
Sustainability Versus Sustainable Development
So what is the difference between sustainability and sustainable development? Continue reading to find out…
Continue reading sustainability versus sustainable development…
Download an Introduction to Sustainability and Sustainable Development
Inspirational Sustainability Facts
You may also be interested in our inspirational sustainability facts.
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Links to other Knowledge Base pages:
- Glossary of terms and definitions
- Inspirational facts
- Circular Economy: Recycling is Not the Benefit
- Carbon footprint database for materials
- Online training courses
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