GST 201:

Sustainable Development Facts and Theory

Learning outcomes:
 Students can define sustainability
 Students can describe three pillars of sustainability
 Students can explain the factors that contribute to economic, social and environmental
sustainability.
Sustainability refers to “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland Commission, 1983).
Sustainability is organizing society such as it can continue for future generations. It entails:
 Reserving or preserving natural resources and
 Ensuring social economic equality when making decision.
Over the years, the term sustainability has been used to describe improvement in the following
factors:
 Over exploitation of natural resources
 Manufacturing operations
 Linear consumption of products
 The direction of capital investment
 Citizens lifestyle and purchasing habits
 Technological developments
 Business and general or overall institutional changes.
All these lead to sustainable development or sustainability is organizing society such as it can
continue for future generations.
Sustainability is composed of three dimensions or pillars”
 Economy (Economic) (profit)
 Society (Social) (people)
 Environment (Environmental) (planet)
The three concepts referred to profit, people and the planet. The economic power of
sustainability comprises the business they can secure to make profit. A business must be
lucrative to be sustained.
The society is linked with the business. Business must seek social licence (society approval) for
its operation. That is the sustainable business must have the support and endorsement of its
employees, management and stakeholders and the community which it operates
Businesses are concentrating on decreasing their carbon emissions, Packaging waste or waste
toxic waste, water consumption and overall (negative) environmental impact.

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Note that sustainable development happens when all of these three principles are achieved
simultaneously.

Economic Sustainability
Economic sustainability can be applied to Family (household), Businesses (firms) and
Government.
Family: Earning adequate income to afford necessities.
Businesses (firms): Earning adequate revenue/profit for going concern or keep business running
(payment of salaries and allowances of managers and employees, purchase of raw materials,
paying taxes, making returns to owners and creditors and saving enough to offset depreciation
and making future investment.
Government: Receive adequate funds to support the citizen; earning adequate revenue (tax) to
meet its expenditure on developmental projects and payment of salaries and allowances of
government officials.
Human community across the globe are able to maintain their independence and have access to
the resources that they require, financial and other, to meet their needs. Economic systems are
intact and activities are available to everyone, such as secure sources of livelihood.

Social Sustainability
Creating an equitable society that meets the needs of all citizens and can be obtained in the
future.
Universal human rights and basic necessities are attainable by all people, who have access to the
resources in order to keep their families and communities healthy and secure. Healthy
communities have just leaders who ensure personal, labour and cultural rights are respected and
all people are protected from discrimination.

Environmental Sustainability
Ensuring the natural environment is used in a way that will preserve resources in the future.
Resources should be used by human beings at rate they can be replenished.
That is:
Ecological integrity is maintained, all of earth’s environmental systems are kept in balance while
natural resources within them are consumed by humans at a rate where they are able to replenish
themselves.