Week 2: Sustainability

Sustainable development

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs (Brundtland Report, 1987).

Triple bottom line (TBL)

Measuring business performance across three "Ps" together: Profit, People, and Planet — not financial results alone.

Social capital

Value embodied in people: knowledge, skills, health, values, plus the shared culture and trust built inside groups.

Environmental capital

The stock of renewable and non-renewable natural resources and the services nature provides.

Economic capital

Tangible and intangible business assets that can be expressed in money terms (machines, brand value, cash flow).

Elkington's rule for using the TBL

A valid TBL claim requires progress on at least two of the three pillars (profit/people/planet), while the third stays unaffected — not sacrificed.

Strong sustainability

View that different types of capital (natural, social, economic) cannot fully replace each other — some natural resources must be protected no matter what.

Weak sustainability

View that different types of capital can substitute for each other — using up nature is fine if it's compensated with enough man-made capital.

Sustainability characteristics (Hahn, 2022)

Sustainability is: 1) multifaceted (many dimensions) 2) systemic (parts affect the whole) 3) complex and non-linear (small causes can have big, unpredictable effects).

Sustainability definitions — 3 dimensions (Lankoski)

1) Scope: broad (environment+social+economic) vs narrow (environment only) 2) Substitutability: strong vs weak 3) Goal orientation: absolute vs relative performance.

The Grand Acceleration

A dramatic post-1950s surge in human activity and resource use across almost every economic and environmental indicator at once.

Quadruple squeeze

Four converging pressures on sustainable development: Human growth, Ecosystems (biodiversity loss), Climate, and Surprise (unpredictable shocks). (Rockström & Karlberg, 2010)

Planetary boundaries framework

9 Earth-system processes (e.g. climate change, biosphere integrity, freshwater use, ocean acidification) whose combined limits define a "safe operating space" for humanity.

Planetary boundaries — 2025 finding

A 2025 study found 60% of the world's land area now lies outside the safe operating zone for biosphere integrity, with 38% in the high-risk category.

Modern slavery (stat)

In 2016, an estimated 35.8 million people worldwide were in modern slavery; the average global price of a slave was around $90.

Quintuple P framework

An expanded version of the triple bottom line: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnering.

Circular economy

An economic system designed to eliminate waste by keeping resources in use as long as possible, instead of the old "take-make-dispose" model.

EU circularity (stats)

In the EU, 14.1 tonnes of raw material are used per person per year, only 12.2% from recycled sources; the 2030 target is 24% circular material use (the Netherlands already leads at 32.7%).

Narrowing loops

Circular design strategy: using fewer resources per product (higher resource efficiency).

Slowing loops

Circular design strategy: extending or intensifying how long a product stays in use before disposal.

Closing loops

Circular design strategy: recycling materials so they flow from post-use back into new production.

Jevons Paradox (rebound effect)

When a more resource-efficient technology leads to so much extra consumption that it cancels out the expected environmental savings.

System-level innovation needs

For a circular economy to beat business-as-usual, it needs supportive policy: 1) legislation & regulation 2) market incentives 3) financing 4) knowledge & innovation 5) international cooperation.

Life-cycle assessment (LCA)

A method for measuring a product's environmental, social, and economic impact across its whole life, from raw material to disposal.

LCA — the 4 stages

1) Goal & scope: define why and what's included 2) Inventory: collect and calculate inputs/outputs 3) Impact assessment: judge real-world significance 4) Interpretation: turn results into action.

Ecological footprint & biocapacity

Ecological footprint = the biologically productive land/sea needed to meet demand. Biocapacity = the amount actually available to regenerate what's used. Goal: footprint ≤ biocapacity.

Earth Overshoot Day

The date each year when humanity has used up all the resources Earth can regenerate that year — currently using nature about 73% faster than it regenerates (1.73 Earths).

Organisational/sustainability paradox

A persistent contradiction between two things that are both necessary and connected, but seem to conflict (e.g. profit vs people/planet).

Either/or vs both/and thinking

Either/or forces a choice between profit OR sustainability. Both/and looks for ways to achieve profit AND sustainability together.

Managing paradoxes — 3 strategies

1) Acceptance: hold both sides in tension and live with it 2) Synthesis: find a new approach that satisfies both sides at once 3) Separation: address each side at a different time or place.

Coca-Cola case — problematic responses

Ambivalence (launch healthier options while still defending the old ones), Avoidance/denial (blame consumer choice), Reframing (redefine the issue, e.g. "it's about an active lifestyle," not sugar).

Coca-Cola case — better responses

Accept (openly acknowledge the contradiction, e.g. shift investment to zero-sugar), Separation (create a dedicated health-focused R&D unit), Synthesis (reposition around health leadership, working with regulators).