Sustainability - a basic perspective

Is Sustainability about just getting by?

I have been wondering about the meaning of the word sustainability - Does it mean to just get by (Wiki Answers says “to get by, endure or support”), many others have many different definitions. For me, it means being able to get to a better alternative and leaving the world a better place than what it is currently and eventually leading to a healthier community. When I look at sustainability initiatives, I am hoping that the objective is not to get by but to help create conditions which allow us to live a wholesome life – helping create a standard of living that is healthy socially, environmentally and economically viable as well.

Another common definition I have come across is that sustainability is about development that meets the present needs without compromising needs of future generations. I am not too sure how to understand or interpret that , I also wonder how do we know the needs of future generations and how do I draw the line and say that this is all I need are the challenges we face.

I think that instead of getting stuck on finding the perfect definition of the word, if we decided to focus on sustainability as a set of guidelines by which we can live that will protect our world, our own health and well-being as well as protect the rights of all creatures both human and non-human, this would make good sense.

Looking at how do we play the role of housekeeper for the future generations - can we look at conservation and preservation of natural resources including water, air, soil, minerals, and fossil fuels and protecting species biodiversity. Can we look at understanding the interlinking of environmental, social and economic issues? When are we going to realize that altering one aspect of economics has a social and environmental impact and vice versa? Looking at paradigm shifts in terms of how businesses run and being conscious in terms of reducing waste, looking at ways to be profitable using less natural resources?

Let’s look at the business side of things with respect to sustainability - Organizations seeking to enhance their sustainability performance typically are driven to do so by the need to reduce costs, comply with regulations, satisfy the expectations of stakeholders, and meet critical business objectives.

The demand for much higher levels of transparency across a whole range of energy and sustainability performance metrics requires a governed, systematic approach to data collection, management, reporting, and analysis and this space seems to be evolving into a concept around the management of sustainability. It has moved from being a utopian goal to one which is important and increasingly becoming a strategic initiative embedded into daily operations of an enterprise.

Leaders no longer manage sustainability in a reactive manner or as an afterthought.  It has evolved into what is now known as enterprise sustainability management (ESM) and is being looked at as a competitive and strategic advantage as well and is increasingly being glocalized by global organizations.

CSR and Chaos

It all started long time back when concerns and legislations came up around waste management, pollutants and hazardous materials and a subtle combination of legislation and increased awareness has prompted companies to take more accountability for their actions. The idea evolved to what is now called as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).  As the industry evolved, the management of CSR helped along by the growing complexities of other environmental and stakeholders fell under the scope of sustainability.

Every aspect of an enterprise has an impact on sustainability-right from sourcing of materials, to product engineering and development, to manufacturing, sales and customer service and it is very often ill-defined in terms of the specifics. For some groups, it’s about reducing energy and carbon use or designing eco-friendly products. While for others it’s about reducing operational risks with Environmental, Health and Safety processes and making the enterprise a healthier place.

With these potential conflicts in terms of specific priorities organizations often struggle to establish a holistic picture of what they are doing and the ability to communicate what they are doing with their internal and external stakeholders.

Management Systems - A problem of plenty?

Currently, there has been an explosion in management systems beyond just quality management and ISO 9000. Today, there are many different standards, regulations, and processes which all impact a different area of sustainability and that creates a challenge for any organization. We have ISO 9000 for quality, ISO 14000 for environment, ISO 50001 for energy, ISO 31000 for Risk Management, ISO 26000 for social responsibility and sustainability and OSHAS 18000 for safety.

Managing these initiatives and providing governance and stewardship is complex and sometimes very challenging as well and it is no surprise that things are getting out of hand fast.  Enterprise sustainability management is an emerging area of interest where sustainability and aspects around it can be managed.

Enterprise Sustainability Management – A Sign of the Future

The benefits of a holistic approach towards managing this information to connect these areas is being increasingly looked at and compared to the effectiveness of manual processes and proprietary solutions, we should see this strategy being adopted to manage enterprise operations. This is called enterprise sustainability management.  Organizations are implementing management strategies to add a sustainable perspective into the product and process lifecycle, which extends from the inception of an idea through to disposal of the product.

I think a further convergence of sustainability strategies as well as an increased focus on the enterprise sustainability model will be in vogue in the next few years.