The definition of sustainability and sustainable development

There has been an increase and a profound interest in social and environmental sustainability worldwide. The United Nations general assembly launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aims to eradicate poverty and develops sustainability in all countries and regions The SDGs embrace sustainable development as “the spirit of partnership and pragmatism to make the right choices now to improve life, sustainably, for future generations” (United Nations Development Programme 2017). Sustainability has been studied in the last 30 years and has often been understood as an ecological subject (Kidd 1992). However, social aspects have been taken into consideration within the sustainable development debate as well. For instance, the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) in its report in 1987 defined sustainable development as development which meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (WCED). Dempsey et al. (2011) claim that the WCED definition focuses on social aspects and especially social equity (e.g. Pierson 2002; Ratcliffe 2000). The concept has been taking different meanings within industries, organizations, and businesses. For instance, concepts such as Triple Bottom Line (TBL) and Corporate Social Sustainability (CSR) have brought interest across for-profit, non-profit, and government sectors. The TBL is an accounting framework, which integrates social, environmental, and financial aspects in businesses’ performance and assists them in creating a better business value (Slaper and Hall 2011). While CSR emerged in the 1950s and defined by Howard Bowen as “the obligations of businessmen to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, or to follow those lines of action which are desirable regarding the objectives and values of our society” (Bowen, Gond, and Bowen 2013).

 

However, sustainable development cannot be achieved through isolated initiatives and there is still confusion and not clear guidelines on how to reach sustainability (Giovannoni and Fabietti 2013). Business and governments are struggling to adopt a well-structured and comprehensible sustainability definition. The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) provides a detailed and balanced definition of sustainability. The FSSD began to be developed in Sweden in the early 1990s. It started in response to the sustainability challenge and the need for a unifying and operational definition within a systematic approach for planning. These aspects assist humanity in its transition to a more sustainable society (Broman and Robèrt 2017). Furthermore, the FSSD has been developed during 25 years in a continuous dialogue between practitioners and decision-makers in order to make determined efforts to deal with unsustainable practices (Robert 2009). The FSSD can be employed and integrated into the planning process for small businesses, large corporations, and whole communities (Liebert 2012). Its definition is based on scientific foundation principles that are essential and solid for sustainable development; it also can be applied to any system and by any entity with its well-structured analysis to take better decisions towards a strategic solution for sustainable development (Broman and Robèrt 2015).

 

 

 

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