Environment

The United Nation's definition of sustainability is:

A sustainable society meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. 

The pillars of sustainable development

Sustainable development is built on three pillars: economic growth, ecological balance and social progress. Al three are needed to support the sustainable development edifice. Economic growth which takes place without proper concern for its effect on the environment will be unsustainable in the long-run. Likewise, an ambitious social program which lacks a wealth-creating mechanism to support it will ultimately be self-defeating. And environmental conservation achieved at the expense of basic human needs is being bought at too high a price.

In the real world, uncertainty – whether political, social, economic or scientific – overhangs any action, however well-intentioned, that is taken to promote and advance sustainable development. Often, the unpredictability is inherent and therefore unavoidable. In other cases, however, governments have it within their power to reduce uncertainty and create a climate which rewards progress, thereby making the attainment of sustainability more likely.

In the WBCSD, we call this „getting the framework conditions right", and much of our work in 1997 – on climate change, for example, and on sustainability in the market, natural resources and trade – was aimed at crystallizing the business viewpoint on sustainable development issues and then representing that viewpoint to key audiences. As in previous years, two other key themes were eco-efficiency and financial markets.

See World Business Council for Sustainable Development; http://www.wbcsd.ch 

What is eco-efficiency?

Eco-efficiency is a management approach, developed by the WBCSD, that allows companies to improve their environmental performance while meeting the demands of the market. Put in simple terms, eco-efficiency - combination of the words economic and ecological efficiency – is all about producing more from less. It aims to create economic value while ameliorating ecological impact and resource use.

Reducing waste and polluting and using less energy and fewer raw materials are obviously good for the environment. But they re also food for business because they cut companies‘ costs and diminish the likelihood of incurring future environmental liabilities.

See World Business Council for Sustainable Development; http://www.wbcsd.ch