Why future business sustainability is not the same as progress

Zoe Cuckow
Aug 23, 2017 · 2 min read

Sustainable means “meeting the resource needs of today without harming the resource needs of tomorrow” (UN, 1987). On the surface, this makes sense. The aim is to protect and preserve our own way of life without impacting on others. If we get closer to this goal, this must be A Good Thing. However, how do we know we’re moving in the right direction? Can we guess what future generations will need or want? This is where the notion of Progress needs to be questioned, which in turn highlights technology as a possible saviour.

Progress assumes that there’s a fixed, perfect point somewhere in the distant future. However, I’m unconvinced. Perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise. The 2008 Financial Crisis questioned neoliberalism, WW1 questioned industrialisation and mechanisation, and Jared Diamond argues humankind set itself on a self-destructive path since the dawn of agriculture. So, instead of small steps toward perfection, our outcome of our decisions and directions are ambiguous and perhaps unknowable.

So, with the certainty of progress questioned, can technology be our saviour? Possibly. Today’s digital and technological innovation is changing the way we think. Digital technology is a mindset to be embraced as well as resources to be mastered. Our ability to monitor change, to learn and respond is increasingly rapid. With AI and big data this will might accelerate further, especially when combined with the mindset of rapid prototyping and ideation over spilling from the ‘Tech World’. Together, these technological innovations and ‘digital mindsets’ helps us orient ourselves in a complex, hyper-connected world. So, sustainability may be more about the ability to embrace change and respond, than moving towards the fixed, known goal of Progress.

Overall, the future of sustainable business is less about applying a set business model or trying to predict the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s consumers. Instead, it about a confidence to question, to re-engineer, to embrace new technical tools, and to risk failure in the name of adventure. It’s less certain than the simple, straight-forward notion of Progress, and it’s massively more exciting.

)
Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade