How Sustainability Can Mean Everything and Nothing at the Same Time
· Sustainability can be tough to define but is vital to businesses and the environment
· History of sustainability
· How we may better interpret and evaluate sustainable efforts around us
As of 2017, 94 percent of the world’s 200 largest corporations have public sustainability goals. But what is the definition of sustainability? If you ask a roomful of corporate leaders for their take, you’re bound to get a range of answers. In fact, one of the early academic studies of the term suggested that the “search for a single definition seems futile.” And Ad Age once named the term sustainability among the “jargoniest jargon we’ve heard all year,” further describing it as “a good concept gone bad by mis- and overuse.”
But despite an abstract definition, pursuing sustainability is critical to both corporate and environmental well-being. Below we’ll discuss how sustainability came to be, why it’s so tough to define, and how you may better evaluate the range of sustainable efforts going on around you.
A Brief History of Sustainability
The notion of sustainability came largely in response to the Industrial Revolution, as the heightened era of economic growth also created unforeseen air and water pollution. Authors like Henry David Thoreau argued for the conservation of nature, stating “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” The call for action escalated with President Theodore Roosevelt preserving over 230 million acres of wilderness in the United States at the start of the twentieth century.
The environmental movement gained tremendous momentum in the 1960s and 70s. Thought leaders like Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring, led the movement against the indiscriminate use of synthetic pesticides in agriculture. The U.S. government subsequently passed the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and established the Environmental Protection Agency. Other countries passed environmental protections in response to man-made environmental disasters.
In 1987, the term ‘sustainable development’ was popularized by the World Commission on Environment and Development for the United Nations, defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Sustainability Confusion
In 2010, Ad Age defined sustainability as “practices through which the global economy can grow without creating a fatal drain on resources,” which is elegant but still quite broad. Here’s why sustainability can be so difficult to pin down:
· Context Matters
Different industries can have contrasting sustainability initiatives, like climate change, energy, wildlife preservation, or food production. For example, an apparel company, like Levi Strauss & Co. can be focused on 7 sustainability initiatives that it deems important, but global food conglomerate Cargill may be aiming to align directly with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
· Conflicting Opinions
There are many, often conflicting, opinions on sustainability. For example, it’s estimated that the seafood industry has “over 400 standards, certifications, and labels related to wild fisheries and aquaculture.” Not surprisingly, there can be drastically different visions for what constitutes “sustainable” seafood.
· Technological Evolution
More sustainable technologies can completely transform industries. A company like Tesla has rapidly become a poster child for redefining sustainability in the automotive industry, forcing a swath of incumbents to respond. Moreover, standards are changing; what was considered sustainable in years past can quickly become subpar.
Evaluating Sustainability
Sustainability is here to stay. In many instances, it has been proven to not only be good for the environment but also for a company’s bottom line. Furthermore, consumers increasingly want to feel good about the products that they choose and may even pay more for sustainable products. The inevitable challenge is its relative definition. Given that sustainability is a moving target in a world that is constantly evolving, we should train ourselves to ask guiding questions:
What does sustainability mean in this particular context? Who decides what is sustainable, and how often are processes reviewed to ensure proper compliance and effectiveness?
