Sustainability it refers to the principle of seeking a balance between the availability of natural resources and their exploitation by society. That is, it aims to balance the preservation of the environment and what it can offer in line with the population's quality of life.
The term sustainability arises from the need for discussion about how society has been exploring and using the natural resources, thinking of alternatives to preserve it, thus avoiding that these resources run out in the nature. The definition of sustainability is linked to the concept of sustainable development.
Currently, much is commented on sustainable development, given the awareness of the society as a whole to the idea that natural resources are not infinite as many thought. The countless discussions by the scientific community about issues related to the environment environment and its intense degradation by anthropic action also put this term in evidence.
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But what is sustainable development?
Sustainable development it refers to socioeconomic, political and cultural development linked to the preservation of the environment. Thus, capitalist practices associated with consumption must be in balance with sustainability, aiming at advances in the social and economic field without harming nature. It is the guarantee of supplying the needs of the future generation through the conservation of natural resources.
This term appeared in the report developed by the World Commission on Environment and Development presented in 1987, known as the Brundtland Report or Our Common Future. The report defines sustainable development as:
"Development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." |
According to the report, for sustainable development to be achieved, it is first necessary to meet the basic needs of society, in the sectors of health, education, with regard to food and housing. And for that, the United Nations Organization defined, over countless environmental conferences, several goals to be achieved so that the countries can achieve a development linked to sustainability.
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In 2015, the UN released an agenda|1| which contains seventeen goals to be adopted by countries by 2030 so that sustainable development is achieved.
Some of the goals proposed by this agenda are:
Objective 1: End poverty in all its forms, everywhere.
Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.
Goal 3: Ensure a healthy life and promote well-being for everyone, at all ages.
However, it is worth noting that the concept of sustainable development is widely criticized. Many believe that there is no way to develop the economy without harming the environment, so the idea of promoting sustainability would be frustrated, as socioeconomic development depends on the increasing exploitation of natural resources as population increases and of consumption.
Another relevant aspect to be clarified is that many use sustainability and sustainable development as synonyms. However, the term sustainability emerged after the discussion about sustainable development.
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The concept of sustainability officially emerged in 2002, at the Conference known as Rio+10 or the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, South Africa. This term covered not only the question of economic development, but was concerned with ecological and social perspectives, pointing to the search for social equality.
Therefore, we can say that sustainability is the goal and sustainable development is the means to achieve it.
sustainability tripod
Sustainability is addressed through three dimensions that indicate a harmonious balance between the social, environmental and economic spheres. This tripod corresponds to a trend of companies that started to commit to sustainability.
The sustainability tripod corresponds to three dimensions: environmental, social and economic.
The main features of the three dimensions are:
→ Environmental sustainability: it refers to the preservation of the environment so that society finds a balance between the supply of its needs and the rational use of natural resources, without harming nature.
→ Social sustainability: refers to the active participation of the population with regard to social development through the elaboration of proposals aimed at the well-being and equality of all in consonance with the preservation of the environment.
→ Economic sustainability: it refers to the economic development model that seeks to exploit natural resources in a sustainable manner, without harming the supply of the needs of future generations.
Corporate sustainability
Corporate sustainability refers to actions and sustainable policies (economically, socially and environmentally) adopted by a company throughout the operations, development and production of its goods or services.
According to the coordinator of the Sustainable Production and Consumption Program of the Center for Sustainability Studies at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, Aron Belinky, sustainability business is related to the attention that the company pays to the possible negative impacts that may be caused on the environment and on people through the development of its activities. Belinly states:
Exercising corporate sustainability means analyzing the company's business taking into account how to make the negative impacts of its activity as small as possible. It is to be aware of the needs and well-being of the population in the environment where it operates.”“
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This concern with the possible impacts caused especially by the productive sector, after the intense industrialization experienced in the country, it emerged when natural disasters, conflicts for resources natural resources and their scarcity, damage to the environment and the increase in social inequality seen by the increase in violence and poverty evidence.
Currently, the big companies present in their policy a sustainability program with the objective of creating a production chain that impacts minimally nature, aiming at the well-being of its consumers and its employees, also avoiding losses economical. This issue no longer has a philanthropic aspect and assumed a strategic position in order to achieve the necessary engagement with its consumer market.
A company can actually prove the results of its actions in numerous ways in order to be assured that sustainability policies are being achieved. It is through these ways that the company finds its own guarantee as well as the guarantee for consumers that the sustainable goals of a possible business or product are being achieved.
O sustainability tripod is part of this trend presented by companies. See the actions arranged according to the sustainable dimension:
Corporate sustainability represents the sustainable actions aimed at the social, environmental and economic dimensions adopted by a company.
According to the Sustainability Laboratory of the University of São Paulo, the corporate sustainability tripod is defined as:
SustainabilitySocial: it is about the human capital of an enterprise, community, society as a whole. For example: fair wages, compliance with Brazilian legislation, employee welfare, work environment pleasant, concern for workers' health, impacts of business activities on communities borderlines. |
Sustainabilityenvironmental: It refers to the natural capital of an enterprise or society. It is known that every economic activity causes some negative environmental impact, so the company must think of ways to mitigate these impacts. This can be done by replacing raw material or using it rationally, measuring the amount of polluting gases that are emitted and adopting measures to avoid this emission. |
Sustainabilityeconomic: It refers to achieving profit through the production, distribution and consumption of products thinking about actions that minimize the exploitation of the environment. |
Examples of sustainability
Sustainable actions do not only involve large projects promoted by countries, bodies and institutions. These actions start individually, from the local to the global. There are countless sustainable practices that can be adopted both individually and collectively, thinking about the social well-being associated with the preservation of the environment.
Some examples are:
Save water and energy;
Reuse water for other activities;
Collect rainwater for cleaning activities;
Avoid using materials that are not biodegradable;
Adopt the habit of planting trees, especially species that are at risk of extinction;
Take advantage of sunlight as well as adopt it in your homes, if possible, alternative energy sources;
Decrease the consumption of products that use plastics, as these take a long time to decompose in nature;
recycle trash;
Opt for products with returnable packaging;
Adopt alternative means of transport, such as bicycles or collectives;
Give preference to the use of biofuels.
|1| 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. To access, Click here.
By Rafaela Sousa
Graduated in Geography
