SUSTAINABILITY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN, AND WHY SHOULD BUSINESSES CARE?

After seeing it pop up everywhere, it’s time to ask: What does ‘sustainability’ actually mean?

Oxford dictionary defines the term as the ability to maintain something at a certain rate or level. It’s a word that has been a part of our language for hundreds of years, so why is

so much emphasis being placed on it now?

It’s all in the context. In 2005 the UN’s World Summit of Social Development coined the ‘three pillars’ of sustainability; economic, social equity and environmental demands.

So when we place the term ‘sustainability’ after ‘environmental’ and place it under an image of our burning bushfires and dying reefs, it starts to become clearer why this common word has become a pivotal part of our everyday vernacular.  

The obvious response to these disasters is to focus on replenishing and protecting our natural resources. Unfortunately, the solution isn’t that simple. The three pillars of sustainability are intertwined, and you often cannot change one without effecting the others.

When we ask ourselves how we got to the point of environmental destruction that we are facing today, it is important to remember that humans have an intrinsic interest in power and wealth, and as humans continued to strive for economic growth and preservation, consideration for the environment depleted. It has been socially engrained into our society to value consumerism over nature, and we’re starting to see the disastrous consequences.

So yes, it is time for a change. It will be difficult to undo the hundreds of years’ worth of damage that has been done, but small shifts in attitude and actions will make a difference. And while personal choices will add up, we will only see a real change if our corporations get on board and start making sustainable business decisions. Recycling everything they can, using ethically sourced resources and reducing usage of waste products within the workplace and products are all examples of little changes that can make a big difference.

In a consumerist world, businesses are entirely influential. They control the impact both they and their consumers have on a social and environmental scale, and it is pivotal in this time that they make the right – and sustainable - choices for society.

The start of 2020 brings an opportunity to start new habits. We need to be mindful about our actions and the impact they have, not only on business practices and on our consumers or peers, but on the footprint that they leave on our earth.