Sustainability can simply be put as the pursuit of global environmental stability. No matter what we the occupants of this planet are doing to the earth and its resources. An explicit meaning about the recycling business shows that sustainability is the avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain environmental balance. Business-wise, sustainability also has to do with maximizing the limited resources available without affecting the ability of the next generations to meet their own needs. It also ensures that businesses take decisions within a particular framework. This framework could be in terms of social or environmental impact for the long term, all of which will be fully explained.
Sustainability rests solely on three pillars. These pillars are Social Development, Economic Development, and Environmental protection. These pillars should guide our decisions in the present, hence securing the future.
Social development is the protection of people’s health from the pollution caused by the businesses and the harmful activities of some organizations. It is also about maintaining constant access to basic amenities or resources without compromising the quality of people’s lives. Social development also covers affordable housing, which can be achieved by building houses with sustainable materials.
Economic development is about fulfilling wants of population without sacrificing the quality of life. We can achieve economic development when we employ the right incentives. It also covers how businesses and employability will be affected. This can be slightly influenced by political ideologies of the government in power at times. Economic sustainability includes the provision of incentives for organizations and businesses of all sizes to help them stick to sustainability guidelines beyond the normal requirements. Incentives can cover individuals too; to encourage them to do the little they can to aid sustainability. Human wants as we know it, are limitless just as the advancement in technology and the nature of life we live requires a lot of resources. Sustainability helps to control what we consume and also preserve the environment. Economic development concerning sustainability is about reducing the financial burden of doing the correct thing sustainability.
Environmental protection is the easiest part as everyone knows what to do to protect the environment, but many chose not to. Sustaining the environment should be our primary concern if the future of humanity is to be sustained. Environmental protection is all about recycling, reducing energy consumption as much as possible, and trekking short journeys instead of taking a bus. Environmental protection defines how we should go about maintaining ecological balance, protection of our ecosystems, and air quality. It also includes sustaining valuable resources and concentrating on elements that stress the environment and taking them out.
Sustainability should take people, profits, and the general environment into consideration. This means that whatever decision we make, with regards to any of the three stated above, will have a long-term effect. Even though most companies have stated their sustainability goals which include reduction of overall emissions by a particular percentage or a decision to achieve zero-waste packaging by the end of a certain year, many have failed, while some have done remarkably well like Interplas Recycling. Achieving these goals is a possibility if we work hard and cooperate towards it. Some challenges surround achieving sustainability goals. First is the fact that decisions are based on longer timelines. This may not spell well for investors in the industry as the company that has been invested in may not make the expected returns, especially when the company is committed to the sustainable development of resources. Still, this remains a minimal challenge as the earnings are modest.