Sustainability Management Question Bank

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UNIT V

SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT
QUESTION BANK
Two Marks
1. Define sustainability.
Sustainability is the ability of a process or system to continue functioning over time without
degrading or becoming devalued. In the modern world, increasing global populations are using up
natural and finite resources at a much faster rate than they are replacing them
2.Name the dimensions of sustainability.

 Economic Sustainability
 Social Sustainability
 Environmental Sustainability
3. Write a short on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals with measurable targets and clear
deadlines for improving the lives of the world’s poorest people. To meet these goals and eradicate
poverty, leaders of 189 countries signed the historic millennium declaration at the United Nations
Millennium Summit in 2000.
4. What is the difference between Millenium Development Goals and Sustainable Development
Goals?
Unlike the MDGs, which only targets the developing countries, the SDGs apply to all countries
whether rich, middle or poor countries. The SDGs are also nationally-owned and country-led, wherein
each country is given the freedom to establish a national framework in achieving the SDGs.
5. List out Millenium Development Goals
 Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
 Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
 Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
 Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
 Goal 5: Improve maternal health
 Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
 Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
 Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
7. Define Environmental sustainability
Environmental sustainability: to gain environmental sustainability the waste released from human
development must be successfully absorbed so that the Earth's systems that we depend on are not
affected. These systems include soils, ecosystems, the water cycle, and the atmosphere.
8. Define Economic sustainability
For such large populations to survive we must make the most of natural resources. This requires
economic growth. Economic sustainability refers to the balance between economic and developmental
growth as well as environmental trade-offs.
9. Write a short note on social sustainability.
To achieve social sustainability, governments and businesses must consider all potential individuals
that may be affected by new developments or policies and account for these effects. Social
sustainability aims to promote equality and achieve global food security.
10.What do you mean by sustainability tool?
The Sustainability Tool is a one stop platform that allows you to monitor and manage the impact of
your projects, without getting bogged down in spreadsheets and time-consuming data collection.
Saving time and costs. Instant analysis and performance overview. Reducing risk. Business
transparency leads to success.
11. Define sustainability standards.
Sustainability standards and certifications are voluntary guidelines used by producers, manufacturers,
traders, retailers, and service providers to demonstrate their commitment to good environmental,
social, ethical, and food safety practices. There are over 400 such standards across the world.
16 MARKS
1. Elaborate the sustainability tools in detail.
Sustainable Manufacturing Tools
Sustainable Manufacturing Curriculum: Greening the Future by Educating Tomorrow's Workforce—
As sustainable manufacturing takes hold across the country, the demand for employees who are
trained to identify opportunities for improving process efficiencies and preventing environmental
wastes will explode.
International Trade Administration Sustainable Manufacturing 101 Module—This module is
designed to familiarize companies, particularly small to medium-sized manufacturers, with key
concepts, approaches, strategies, terminology, and regulations related to sustainable manufacturing.
The module guides users through sustainable manufacturing's various aspects to help companies
identify opportunities for savings and value enhancements throughout the production cycle and supply
chain.
The OECD Sustainable Manufacturing Toolkit—This toolkit provides a practical starting point for
businesses around the world to improve the efficiency of their production processes and products in a
way that contributes to sustainable development and green growth.
Lean Manufacturing and the Environment—These tools show how manufacturers can use lean and
green methods to reduce environmental wastes while meeting other goals such as improving product
quality, reducing costs, and enhancing customer responsiveness.
The Global Social Compliance Programme (GSCP): The Equivalence Process (EP)—This tool is
designed to help businesses benchmark their efforts to improve working and environmental conditions
in global supply chains.
Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) Water Sustainability Tool—This tool
helps individual companies build a business water strategy that tracks water use, identifies water
supply risks and savings opportunities, and builds a business case for implementing improvements.
GEMI Solutions—This collection of tools and resources is for business professionals seeking
information on environmental and sustainability management issues and can serve as a guide to assist
companies in achieving sustainability goals.
Life Cycle Assessment Tools
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Principles and Practice—This tool provides an introductory
overview of LCA along with a description of general uses and major components of the technique. It
is designed for use by companies, federal facilities, industry organizations, and academia and
describes how to incorporate life-cycle-based environmental performance considerations into
decision-making processes.
U.S. Life Cycle Inventory Database—This tool from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NERL) provides individual gate-to-gate, cradle-to-gate, and cradle-to-grave accounting of the energy
and material flows into and out of the environment that are associated with producing a material,
component, or assembly in the U.S.
Eco-LCA™—Life Cycle Assessment with Full Ecological Accounting—This framework accounts
for the role of ecosystem goods and services in the life cycle of economic activities.
The Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA)—This tool estimates the
materials and energy resources required for, and the environmental emissions resulting from, activities
in our economy.
Energy Efficiency Tools
ENERGY STAR Treasure Hunt Guide: Simple Steps to Finding Energy Savings—An Energy
Treasure Hunt is a two- to three-day event that engages employees in identifying low-cost energy
savings opportunities from behavioral, operational, and maintenance actions. This 31-page guidebook
provides step-by-step guidance on how to organize and execute an Energy Treasure Hunt.
U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) Tools Suite—
These tools cover a wide range of advanced manufacturing applications from steam, compressed air,
and fans to combined heat and power (CHP), motors/pumps, and more.
ENERGY STAR Guidelines for Energy Management—This tool, based on the successful practices
of ENERGY STAR partners, is designed to assist organizations in improving energy and financial
performance.
ENERGY STAR Industrial Energy Guides—This tool serves as a resource on trends in energy use
and energy intensity in the industrial sector and can be used to identify areas for improvement,
evaluate potential energy improvement options, develop action plans and checklists for an energy
program, and educate company employees.
ENERGY STAR Industrial Benchmarking Tools—These tools provide manufacturers with a
simple means to track energy use, set baselines, establish energy and emissions reduction goals, and
evaluate progress toward goals.
I2SL Laboratory Energy Benchmarking Initiative—This Web-based database tool contains energy
use information from more than 200 laboratory facilities and allows users to benchmark energy
performance in terms of whole-building metrics (e.g., BTU/sf-yr) as well as system-level metrics
(e.g., ventilation W/cfm).
Back of the Envelope Calculator—This calculator is a learning tool that allows anyone to interact
with a building as an energy system. You can see real-time energy connections between building
components, isolate the effects of changing a single energy parameter, or produce concept-level
energy and CO2 emissions estimates.
ACEEE Energy Efficiency and Pollution Control Calculator—This calculator assists users in
determining the costs and air quality benefits of some basic energy efficiency policies and allows
them to compare those options with more piecemeal approaches to reducing air pollution.
Carbon Footprint Tools
Waste Reduction Model (WARM)—This model helps solid waste planners and organizations track
and voluntarily report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from several different waste
management practices. WARM is available both as a Web-based calculator and as a Microsoft Excel
spreadsheet.
P2 Cost and GHG Calculators—These two calculators are designed to help measure the
environmental and economic performance results of P2 activities and can demonstrate the unique
multimedia perspective that P2 brings to GHG reductions and cost savings.
Simplified Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Calculator—These three tools are designed to help
small businesses develop a corporate wide inventory and establish a plan to ensure GHG data
consistency as they track progress towards reaching an emissions reduction goal.
Small Business Carbon Footprint Calculator—This tool enables small business owners or
managers in the U.S. to calculate the carbon footprint of their business and make customized pledges
to reduce carbon footprints and save money. Smart defaults based on industry, size, and city pre-
populate all fields but can be adjusted to quickly assess the footprint from all business expenditures.
The calculator also shows comparisons to similar businesses as well as state and national benchmarks.
Materials Management: Toxic Chemicals and Pollution Prevention Tools
Chemical Screening Tool for Exposures & Environmental Releases (ChemSTEER)—This tool
estimates occupational inhalation and dermal exposure to a chemical during industrial and
commercial manufacturing, processing, and use operations involving the chemical. It also estimates
releases of a chemical to air, water, and land that are associated with industrial and commercial
manufacturing and processing.
Tool for the Reduction and Assessment of Chemical and Other Environmental Impacts
(TRACI)—This tool examines the potential impacts associated with the raw material usage and
chemical releases resulting from production processes.
ChemView—Use this database to get information on chemical health and safety data received by
EPA and EPA's assessments and regulatory actions for specific chemicals under the Toxic Substances
Control Act (TSCA).
Electronics Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)—This searchable global registry
for green electronics helps purchasers, manufacturers, resellers, and others find and promote
environmentally preferable products.
Community Development Tools
The Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP)—This resource pulls together
existing federal planning grant and technical assistance resources and best practices in economic
development.
Zoom Prospector—This tool provides a way for new and expanding businesses to find, compare, and
deeply analyze communities and available properties nationwide. The map-based search can greatly
simplify and speed up the site selection process, freeing companies to be able to quickly and
accurately make informed decisions based on numerous data sets including demographic, business,
transportation, and property information.
General Services Administration (GSA): Sustainable Facilities Tool—This tool is designed to
simplify, for both government and private-sector property managers, sustainable building practices
and compare options for renovation projects. It offers useful sustainable guidance for facility
managers, procurement professionals, leasing specialists, and project managers.
Worker Safety Tools
Worker Education and Training Program (WETP) Clearinghouse—This clearinghouse tool
catalogues studies, white papers, and reports on occupational health and workplace safety.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)'s Establishment Search—This database
allows users to search for OSHA enforcement inspections by the name of the establishment.
Information can also be obtained for a specified inspection or inspections within a specified Standard
Industrial Classification (SIC).
OSHA eTools, eMatrix, Expert Advisors and v-Tools—These stand-alone, interactive, Web-based
training tools offer guidance on occupational safety and health topics. They are highly illustrated and
use graphical menus. Some also use expert system modules, which enable the user to answer
questions and receive reliable advice on how OSHA regulations apply to their work site
OSHA's Transitioning to Safer Chemicals: A Toolkit for Employers and Workers—By using this
toolkit, businesses can improve worker well-being through eliminating or reducing hazardous
chemicals, while creating other benefits.
Workplace Safety Tool Kit—This toolkit is a compilation of information, data sheets, tools, and
other useful information on worker safety and protection.
Workforce Development Tools
WorkforceGPS: Workforce Solutions—This tool is an e-learning, knowledge-sharing Web space
that offers workforce professionals, employers, economic development, and education professionals a
dynamic network featuring innovative workforce solutions.
21st Century Registered Apprenticeship—The tool is a strong model for all industries needing
skilled workers and for all workers and job seekers needing a leg up to a better life and long-term
career.
Sustainability Education and Economic Development Center—This resource aims to advance
sustainability and green workforce development practices at community colleges by sharing
innovative models and resources and building the capacity of college administrators, faculty, and staff
to contribute as leaders.
2. Explain sustainability standards
IIRC: INTERNATIONAL INTEGRATED REPORTING COUNCIL
Type: Integrated Sustainability
Themes: Finance, ESG, Sustainability
Number of Participants: Best for Investors
Stakeholder Audience: Regulatory bodies, Accountancy Firms
‍ he purpose of the Framework is to establish guiding principles and content elements that govern
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the overall content of an integrated report and to explain the fundamental concepts that underpin
them.
TCFD: TASK FORCE ON CLIMATE-RELATED FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES
Type: Sustainability
Themes: ESG & Climate Financial Risk
Number of participants: ~2,600+ supporting organizations
Best for Large Companies
Stakeholder audience: Investors
‍ he Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) guides companies on disclosing
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climate-related financial risks to investors, lenders, insurers, and other stakeholders. TCFD is
primarily a theme or pillar-based recommendations framework, one that is increasingly being
used throughout the finance and banking sectors, and championed by the US Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC), UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the National Association
of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), and the Singapore Exchange (SGX).
ISSB (IFRS) INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY STANDARD BOARD
Type: Sustainability
Themes: General Sustainability Accounting, Risks & Opportunities
Number of participants: TBD
Best for Medium-to-Large Companies
Stakeholder audience: Investors, CFOs, and Finance
‍ he IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards were created in 2022 by the International
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Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) to serve as a global format for sustainability and climate
reporting that meets the needs of CFOs and investors. While newer, and still in development,
given the IFRS's influential role in financial reporting, these standards should help connect
sustainability reporting information with a company's financial statements and accounting.
CDP
Type: Sustainability
Themes: Climate, Supply Chain, Forest, Water
Number of participants: 9,600
Best for Medium-to-Large Companies
Stakeholder audience: Investors, Supply Chain
‍ DP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) manages a global environmental disclosure system
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used by more than 9,600 companies. Companies disclose by completing any or all of the three
CDP questionnaires of climate change, forests, and water security. CDP also includes an optional
4th supply chain reporting module. CDP publishes the scores of reporting companies on its
website.
B CORP
Type: Sustainability
Themes: Social Impact, Sustainability, & ESG

Number of participants: >4,000


Best for Small-to-Medium Companies
Stakeholder audience: All
‍ Corp is a private certification and set of standards for corporate social and environmental
B
performance. The B Corp framework is most widely adopted by smaller, privately-held
companies.
GRI
Type: Sustainability
Themes: General
Number of participants: ~10,000
Best for Any Type of Organization
Stakeholder audience: All
‍ lobal Reporting Initiative (GRI) created the first global, third-party sustainability and social
G
impact measurement standards in 1997. The newest GRI Standards provide three sets (economic,
environmental, and social) of 34 topic-specific standards to help companies report on material
ESG issues to their investors and other stakeholders. GRI has no central oversight function – but
companies can choose to make their reports available via a database on the GRI website.
SASB (VALUE REPORTING FOUNDATION)
Type: Sustainability
Themes: ESG Financial Risk
Number of participants: ~800
Best for Large Companies
Stakeholder audience: Investors
‍ he Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) develops and provides non-financial,
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sector-specific sustainability reporting standards that track and communicate ESG performance
areas and metrics that are most financially material to investors. SASB standards vary by industry
and are available for dozens of different sectors. In 2021 SASB merged with the IIRC
(International Integrated Reporting Council) to create the Value Reporting Foundation with the
goal of providing an integrated reporting framework to connect sustainability reporting with
financial disclosure. More recently, the ISSB has now taken over SASB and is in the process of
integrating SASB into the new ISSB (IFRS) sustainability reporting standards
ISO 14001: ISO GUIDANCE ON SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Type: Sustainability
Themes: ESG & Environmental Management Systems
Number of Participants: 450,000+
Best for Small and Large Companies
Stakeholder Audience: Investors, Regulators,

I‍ SO 14000 is a family of standards that are related to environmental management. These


standards exist to help organizations reduce the negative impact of their operations on the
environment, comply with applicable laws and regulations, and continually improve their
environmental performance. The family includes standard 14001 and a list of further guidelines.
3. Discuss Sustainable Developmental Goals in detail.
Sustainable Development Goal Meaning
A method called sustainable development tries to meet human development goals while letting
natural systems meet human demands for vital ecosystem functions and natural resources. The
term “sustainable development” was originally used in the 1987 report Our Common Future by
the Brundtland Commission. Sustainable development (SD) refers to a coordinated Endeavour to
build an equitable, sustainable, and resilient future for people and the earth.
Sustainable Development Goals Agenda
The blueprints for attaining a better, more sustainable future for everyone are the Sustainable
Development Goals. In other words, the Sustainable Development Goals are a set of 17 pointers
that all UN members have agreed to work towards in order to better the future of their respective
nations. In the film “Future We Want,” which was shown at the Rio+20 conferences, a post-2015
development agenda was suggested.
As the post-2015 development agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an
intergovernmental agreement that take the role of the Millennium Development Goals. The
United Nations General Assembly’s Open Working Group on Sustainable Development
Objectives established 17 goals with 169 targets and 304 indicators that must be achieved by
2030. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, often known as “Transforming Our
World,” was formed during the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit. The SDGs,
which are non-binding documents, were developed by the Rio+20 summits in Rio de Janeiro in
2012.
SDG Goals
No Poverty: Put an end to poverty in all its manifestations worldwide.
Zero Hunger: End hunger, achieve greater nutrition and food security, and advance sustainable
agriculture.
Good Health & well-being: Ensure healthy lifestyles and encourage well-being for everyone of
all ages.
Quality Education: Make sure all students have access to high-quality, inclusive education, and
encourage possibilities for lifelong learning.
Gender Equality: Obtain gender parity and give all women and girls more power.
Clean Water and Sanitation: Make sure that everyone has access to water and is managed
sustainably.
Affordable and Clean Energy: Ensure that everyone has access to modern, sustainable, cheap
energy.
Decent Work and Economic Growth: Encourage consistent, equitable, and sustainable
economic growth, complete and productive employment, and respectable employment for all.
Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Construction of robust infrastructure, encouragement
of inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and support of innovation.
Reduced Inequality: Lessen inequality both within and across nations
Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make human settlements and cities inclusive, secure,
hardy, and sustainable.
Responsible Consumption and Production: Ensure sustainable patterns of production and
consumption.
Climate Action: To combat climate change and its effects, take immediate action.
Life Below Water: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources.
Life on land: Protect, restore, and encourage sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably
managed forests, fight against desertification, and prevent, reverse, and stop biodiversity loss.
Peace, justice, and strong institutions: Promote inclusive and peaceful societies for sustainable
development, ensure that everyone has access to justice, and create inclusive institutions at all
levels.
Partnership for the goals: the global collaboration for sustainable development should be
strengthened and revitalized.... Read more at: https://www.studyiq.com/articles/sustainable-
development-goals/
4. What is meant by Millennial Development Goals?(MDGs) Explain them in detail.
‍ he United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the eight goals set by the 189
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UN member states in September 2000 and agreed to be achieved by the year 2015. The
Millennium Declaration was signed at the September global summit held at the UN headquarters
in New York and the 149 international leaders in attendance committed to combating disease,
hunger, poverty, illiteracy, discrimination against women and environmental degradation. The
MDGs were derived from this Declaration, and specific indicators and targets were attached to
them.
MDGs
MDG 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal 1 - Eradicate Poverty Recent gains in millennium development goal 1 have seen the number
of hungry people in the world decrease to fewer than 1 billion, though the Food and Agriculture
Organisation of the United Nations believes that this number is still unacceptably high.
Millennium Development Goal 1 has three targets:
 To halve the proportion of people whose daily income is less than $1.25
 To achieve full and productive employment, as well as decent work for all, including
young people and women
 To halve the proportion of individuals suffering from hunger in the period between 1990
and 2015.
MDG 2: Achieve universal primary education
To ensure that children universally – including both boys and girls – will be able to complete a
full course of primary education by 2015.
The Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN claims that nearly 57 million primary school
age children are not able to attend school; 80 percent of whom live in rural areas. This has made
the urban-rural knowledge and education divide today’s main obstacle to achieving global
primary education by 2015.
The fact that rural children are highly affected by hunger and malnutrition has also seriously
affected their learning ability. As such, food security and primary education should be addressed
at the same time to give rural people the capacity to feed themselves and overcome hunger,
poverty, and illiteracy. Social protection brings together all efforts for education and food security
towards increased effectiveness.
MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
To eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005, and in all levels of
education by 2015.
mdg-3-promote gender equality and empower womenIt is important to promote the total and
equitable participation of both men and women in efforts aimed at improving poverty reduction,
food security, and sustainability of rural development. Without gender equality and the economic
and social improvement for rural women, food security cannot be achieved.
Some of the achievements of MDG 3 include:

 An increase in the number of girls in school in 2015 compared to 2000. The developing
world as a whole has achieved the goal of eliminating gender disparity in all levels of
education, including primary, secondary, and tertiary.
 In Southern Asia, the number of girls enrolled in primary school was 74 for every 100
boys in 1990. By 2015, there were 103 girls enrolled for every 100 boys.
 The proportion of women in vulnerable employment compared to total female
employment has reduced by 13 percent in the period between 1991 and 2015, compared
to a 9 percent decrease for men.
 Significant gains in women’s parliamentary representation in nearly 90 percent of 174
countries for which data has been available in the past two decades. At the very least, the
average proportion of women in parliament has increased by nearly 100 percent during
the last 20 years, yet this still translates to one woman for every five men.
MDG 4: Reduce child mortality
To reduce the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds in the period between 1990 and 2015MDG4
Undernutrition is estimated to contribute to more than 33 percent of all deaths in children under
five. So, efforts to improve household food security and nutrition have increased the chances of
children growing to adulthood.
In this regard, FAO programmes, in combination with efforts by the Renewed Efforts against
Child Hunger and Undernutrition (REACH) and WHO, WFP, and UNICEF have helped
communities and households secure access to nutritionally adequate diets to minimise child
undernutrition. Efforts include the provision of training materials, community-centred initiatives,
training programmes for local and national staff, nutrition education programmes, and promotion
of forums on community nutrition and household food security.
Improving complementary feeding for babies, or giving foods in addition to breast milk, has led
to significant reduction in the child mortality caused by undernutrition.
MDG 5: Improve maternal health
Improve maternal health Hunger and malnutrition were observed to increase the incidence and
fatality rate of the conditions that contribute to nearly 80 percent of maternal deaths.

In this regard, millennium development goal 5 has two targets:

 To reduce the maternal mortality ratio by 75 percent


 To achieve universal access to reproductive health
Improving maternal health is critical to saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of women who
die due to complication from pregnancy and childbirth each year. Over 90 percent of these deaths
could be prevented if women in developing regions had access to sufficient diets, basic literacy
and health services, and safe water and sanitation facilities during pregnancy and childbirth.
Some of the achievements of MDG 5 include:

 A 45 percent reduction in the maternity mortality ratio worldwide since 1990, though
most of the reduction occurred since 2000
 A 64 percent reduction in maternal mortality ratio in Southern Asia between 1990 and
2013, and 49 percent in sub-Saharan Africa
 A 12 percent increase in the number of births assisted by skilled health personnel globally
in 2014 compared to 1990 – 59 percent to 71 percent.
 An increase in the proportion of pregnant women receiving four or more antenatal visits
in North Africa from 50 percent in 1990 to 89 percent in 2014.
 Increase in contraceptive prevalence among women 15 – 49 years old – whether married
or in some other union – from 55 to 64 percent between 1990 and 2015.
MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other major diseases
MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases HIV, malaria, and other diseases directly
and indirectly impact food and nutrition security, rural development, and agricultural productivity.
At the same time, malnutrition and food and nutrition insecurity can increase vulnerability to
disease.
In this regard, Millennium Development Goal 6 has three targets:

 To halt by 2015 and have started to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS


 To achieve global access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for those who need it by 2010
 To have ceased and started reversal of the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
by 2015
Some of the achievements of MDG 6 include:

 40 percent reduction in new HIV infections from 3.5 million cases in 2000 to 2.1 million
cases in 2013
 A massive increase in the number of people living with HIV receiving anti-retroviral
therapy (ART) globally, from 800,000 in 2003 to 13.6 million in 2014. ART have helped
avoid over 7.6 million deaths from AIDS between 1995 and 2013.
 Averting over 6.2 million deaths associated with malaria between 2000 and 2015, mostly
of children under five years in sub-Saharan Africa. The universal malaria incidence rate
has also reduced by an estimated 37 percent, and the mortality rate by 58 percent.
 The delivery of over 900 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets to malaria-endemic
countries in sub-Saharan Africa between 2004 and 2014.
 Tuberculosis prevention, diagnosis, and treatment interventions conducted between 2000
and 2013 saved an estimated 37 million lives. The TB mortality rate reduced by 45
percent between 1990 and 2013, while prevalence rate fell by 41 percent within the same
time period.

MDG 7: Ensure environmental sustainability


It is critical that the natural resources base and ecosystems are managed sustainably to ensure that
people’s food requirements and other social, economic, and environmental needs are sufficiently
met. Climate change, conflicts over access to resources, and increased water scarcity all pose a
threat to not only environmental sustainability but also food security.
As such, millennium development goal 7 has 4 targets:

 To integrate the principles of sustainable development into all nation’s policies and
programmes, and also reverse the depletion of environmental resources
 To reduce biodiversity loss and achieve a substantial reduction in the rate of loss by 2010
 To halve the proportion of the universal population without sustainable access to clean
and safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015.
 To achieve substantial improvement in the lives of a minimum of 100 million slum
dwellers by 2020.
An estimated 30 percent of total land area on the planet is forested. An estimated 1.6 billion
people depend on forests directly for their livelihoods, plus they provide other benefits enjoyed by
all, including clean air and water. Forests also provide a habitat for millions of plants and animals,
as well as catchment for 75 percent of the world’s fresh water. They help in the adaptation to and
mitigation of climate change, though they are under threat from deforestation.
Hunger and poverty tend to compel the disadvantaged to over-exploit resources on which their
livelihoods depend. Policies, institutions, and strategies for protecting, conserving, and enhancing
natural resources should be strengthened to deliver an enabling environment, and be based on the
specific resource challenged faced in a given location.
Some of the achievements of MDG 7 include:

 The virtual elimination of ozone-depleting substances since 1990. Consequently, the


ozone layer is expected to recover by around the middle of the century
 Substantial increase in marine and terrestrial protected areas in many areas since 1990. In
Caribbean and Latin America, coverage of terrestrial protected areas increased from 8.8
percent in 1990 to 23.4 percent in 2014.
 The number of people using improved drinking water sources has increased from 76
percent in 1990 to 91 percent in 2015.
 2.6 billion people have gained access to better drinking water since 1990. Of these, 1.9
billion have access to piped drinking water on premises, with 58 percent of the global
population enjoying this level of service in 2015.
 147 nations in the world have fulfilled the drinking water target; 95 nations have achieved
the sanitation target; and 77 nations have met both.
 2.1 billion people in the universe have gained access to improved sanitation. At the same
time, the proportion of people practising open defecation has reduced by nearly 50
percent since 1990.
 A reduction in the proportion of urban population in developing nations living in slums
from 39.4 to 29.7 percent in the period between 2000 and 2014.

MDG 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development


MDG8_LogoMillennium development goal 8 has 6 targets that seek to develop global
partnership for development, namely:

 To further develop an open, predictable, rule-based, non-discriminatory trading and


economic system
 To address the special needs of the least developed countries
 To address the special needs of small island developing States and landlocked developing
countries
 To deal exhaustively with the debt problems of developing nations
 To provide access to affordable essential drugs in the developing world – in collaboration
with pharmaceutical companies
 To avail benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications, in
collaboration with the private sector
Some of the achievements of MDG 8 include:

 A 66 percent increase in official development assistance from developed nations in real


terms in the period 2000 to 2014, reaching $135.2 billion
 In 2014, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Luxembourg continued to
exceed the UN official development assistance target of 0.7 percent of gross national
income
 Imports from developing to developed countries admitted duty-free increased from 65
percent in 2000 to 79 percent in 2014
 The proportion of external debt service to export revenue in the developing world reduced
from 12 to 3 percent between 2000 and 2013.
 95 percent of the global population is covered by a mobile cellular signal as of 2015
 The number of mobile-cellular subscription has grown by nearly tenfold in the last 15
years, from 738 million to over 7 billion between 2000 and 2015
 Internet penetration has increased from about 6 percent of the global population to 43
percent between 2000 and 2015. Consequently, 3.2 billion people are now linked to an
international network of content and applications.
‍5. What are the factors of sustainability?
Sustainability is a very broad term that some feel, is massively overused, and sometimes in the
wrong way. We’re going to break it down into 4 clear and understandable aspects; human, social,
economic and environmental.
Human
Human: Focuses on how we can preserve and improve the quality of human life, whilst reducing
our impact on the planet’s resources. At MM, we try to understand that consumption trends have a
huge impact on the environment. Monitoring our supply chains, aiming to source locally where
possible, and supporting small brands – We are reducing our consumption impact in our market.
We sell natural, unprocessed foods and in doing so, we sustain farms and producers that provide
them.
Social
Mercato at its core is a market that values everyone equally, with community at our centre. Social
injustice and discrimination contribute to cultural and environmental degradation. We share our
values openly and widely to welcome and support all partners, visitors, local community members
and stakeholders, regardless of race, gender, age, religion, and other demographical factors.
Economic
Economic sustainability requires that a business or country uses its resources efficiently and
responsibly, so that it can operate in a sustainable manner, consistently producing operational
profit. Mercato is not a charity; we are a profit-making company who aim to help build up all our
partners and traders. We seek out small companies that we can incubate and grow, benefiting their
economic sustainability whilst improving our MM ethos and stability.
Environmental
Environmental sustainability means that we are living within the means of our natural resources,
clearly understanding what resources are abundant and which are scarce. Knowing and reducing
the damage to the environment from extraction of these materials, helps to establish how
resources can be kept within the Circular Economy principles. Throughout the MM supplier
chain, we work to reduce the impact the dishes our trading partners serve on the environment. We
are working towards more circular waste systems and water conservations.
6. Discuss about sustainable design strategies
Dematerialization
Companies can find ways to use less material in products or packaging while still providing the
required functionality. Significant benefits are possible across the entire life cycle, generally in
proportion to the level of material reduction.
In addition to using less material, companies can take advantage of digitization—that is,
substituting software for analog features. With digitization, features can be added without
increasing a product’s weight or the amount of material used. Software also provides more
flexibility for future adaptations. Applying a “less is more” principle to material usage creates
opportunities to develop new business models that promote sustainability while reducing costs
and meeting customer needs.
In defining a dematerialization strategy, companies should consider the need to influence the
preferences and mindset of consumers. For example, the preference of many drivers for spacious
and fully equipped vehicles will need to change before smaller cars with fewer features gain
acceptance. Moreover, manufacturers must find ways to ensure the same level of safety and
security in vehicles with leaner construction and fewer high-tech features.
Next-Best Material Selection
Companies can often select materials that minimize a product’s environmental impact without
significantly diminishing its functionality. Options include biodegradable, recycled, recyclable, or
lightweight materials. For example, researchers at Clemson University have developed a plant-
based substitute for the polyurethane foam commonly used in car seats and mattresses. This
durable, bio-based material is recyclable and avoids the health risks associated with polyurethane.
Weight reduction is an important consideration in selecting materials. Lower weight can reduce
energy use over a product’s lifetime. One startup automaker has found that using lightweight
composite materials reduces a vehicle’s energy consumption by 50%.

Switching to alternative materials is not easy, however. Next-best materials are often more
expensive than traditional ones. Moreover, selecting materials entails a complex set of
considerations and criteria, including physical properties, compatibility, safety, and supply.
A greener supply chain can reduce costs by reducing energy consumption and facilitating the use
of more resilient processes and digitization.
Green Supply Chain
To promote a greener supply chain, companies can select materials, parts, and components that
reduce the environmental impact of logistics and production. They can also design production
processes to shorten supply chains. A greener supply chain can reduce costs by reducing energy
consumption and facilitating the use of more resilient processes and digitization. Capturing these
benefits requires transparent and effective collaboration among R&D, production, supply chain
teams, and suppliers.
Longevity and Effective Usage
Companies can improve and extend a product’s useful life by designing it to facilitate repairs,
upgrades, and adaptations. Products can also be designed to allow for multiple uses or
remanufacture for other uses.
Although extending product lifetimes can delay consumers’ adoption of new products and reduce
revenues, companies can still capture many benefits. For example, product longevity can increase
customer loyalty and enhance a brand’s reputation. Companies can also charge a premium for
products with longer lifespans, which consumers often regard as being of higher quality. Finally,
companies can generate additional revenue through repair and maintenance services.
Product Efficiency
An efficient product is one that consumes the minimum possible amount of energy and material
resources. Improving efficiency is the best way to reduce the carbon footprint during use, which is
typically when the highest level of emissions occurs. Consumers, too, want more efficient
products, in order to counteract high energy prices.
In designing more efficient products, companies must consider the trade offs with other benefits.
For example, large, comfortable vehicles, such as SUVs loaded with features, are comparatively
inefficient to operate.
Eventually, once the circular value chain is mature and optimized, secondary materials will cost
less than primary materials.
Circularity
Circularity is essential to reducing the consumption of materials and energy. It can be promoted
by sourcing recyclable materials as well as by designing a product for “second life” uses. For
example, because remanufacturing requires much less energy than extracting the primary
materials from which a product was made, it significantly reduces energy consumption and
carbon emissions. Eventually, once the circular value chain is mature and optimized, secondary
materials will cost less than primary materials.
Designing for circularity is challenging, however. The life cycle of an engineered product
involves numerous suppliers with which companies must collaborate to develop an efficient
circular design. There are also financial hurdles. For example, even when a mature process for
recycling a component exists, it may not be economical if demand for the material is low or the
cost of recycling exceeds the resale value.
Vehicle seats are a case in point. Recycling intact seats is not profitable because their resale value
is much lower than the cost of removal. As a result, the metal that makes up 75% of vehicle seats
is typically recycled, while the remaining materials are incinerated.

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