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The term sustainability is often discussed and there is a variety of research on the theme. Without unique definition, there are series of research and studies that consider the terms sustainability and sustainable development as synonymous and there are others which don’t. This study selected 103 relevant articles within a period of 28 years, with the aim of analyzing the sustainability theme, characterizing the stage it is, the gaps and challenges for future contributions. The issues discussed are diverse, as discussions on the environmental, economic and social dimensions, growth and limits, living standards, use of resources, indicators and indices, tools, models of sustainability; there are many concepts and debates about sustainability, but its applicability is rare. However, there is a consensus on sustainability challenges: integrating economics, environment, society and institutional issues, considering the consequences of the actions of this in the future, awareness and involvement of society.
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SUSTAINABILITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
A TAXONOMY IN THE FIELD OF LITERATURE
SIMONE SARTORI1
FERNANDA LATRÔNICO DA SILVA2
LUCILA MARIA DE SOUZA CAMPOS3
Introduction
The emergence of sustainable development (SD) as a political and social project
of humanity has promoted the orientation of efforts in order to find ways for sustainable
societies (SALAS-ZAPATA et al., 2011). Since then, there has been lot of literature
devoted to the subject, and no doubt a blurring of focus.
A growing interest in sustainability (or SD) and, more recently, the approaches
regarding strategies, cleaner production, pollution control, eco-efficiency, environmental
management, social responsibility, industrial ecology, ethical investments, green economy,
eco-design, reuse, sustainable consumption, zero waste (GLAVI; LUKMAN, 2007),
among many other terms.
The approaches depend on the field of application (engineering, economics, mana-
gement, ecology, etc.), in which each science tends to see only one side of the equation
(CHICHILNISKY, 1996), however they are common, as they turn to sustainability (or
SD). It is no coincidence that the concepts of sustainability and SD are still poorly un-
derstood (DOVERS; HANDMER, 1992), and in many cases, are treated as synonyms.
But not all who research these concepts see them as such.
To Dovers and Handmer (1992) sustainability is the ability of a human system,
natural or mixed, to resist or adapt to endogenous or exogenous change indefinitely, and,
in addition, SD is a way of intentional change and improvement that keeps or increases
this attribute of the system meeting the needs of the population. In a first perspective, SD
is the way to achieve sustainability, that is, sustainability is the ultimate long-term goal.
1 Doctoral student, Department of Production Engineering and Systems, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis,
Brazil.
2 Master’s Degree student, Department of Production Engineering and Systems, Federal University of Santa Catarina,
Florianopolis, Brazil.
3 Associate Professor, Department of Production Engineering and Systems, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis,
Brazil.
Ambiente & Sociedade n São Paulo v. XVII, n. 1 n p. 1-20 n jan.-mar. 2014
2Sartori, Latrônico and Campos
For Elkington (1994), creator of the term Triple Bottom Line, sustainability is the
balance between the three pillars: environmental, economic and social. The expectation
that companies should gradually contribute to sustainability arises from the recognition
that businesses need stable markets, and must have technical, financial and management
skills necessary to enable the transition towards sustainable development (ELKINGTON,
2001). This is, therefore a second perspective, different from the first: SD is the goal to
be achieved and sustainability is the process to achieve SD.
Regardless of the two perspectives, this research turns to sustainability. It is observed
that there is now a variety of research and publications on the subject in order to address
a way of understanding and explaining sustainability, be it as a process or an end goal.
In this sense, it is important to have a clear notion of what is meant by sustainability or
lack thereof (TISDELL, 1988).
The term sustainability is used, but little explained. It is of conceptual in nature,
misunderstood (EKINS et al., 2003). It is a fashion accessory (HASNA, 2010) or common
sense (MOLDAN et al., 2012). There is an inconsistent interpretation and application,
high degree of ambiguity of the concept, including an incomplete understanding of the
problems of poverty, environmental degradation and the role of economic growth (LÉLÉ,
1991; MORI; CHRISTODOULOU, 2012; SLIMANE, 2012). And the situation has not
improved so far, it remains a popular and brilliant slogan (SLIMANE, 2012).
In this context, this study aims to examine the literature on the topic of sustainability
in order to characterize it and set the stage it is in, as well as analyze gaps and challenges
in order to bring contributions for future research.
This article, besides this introduction consists of the sections: ii) Methodological
Procedures; iii) Literature Review; iv) Results; and v) Conclusions.
Methodological Procedures
Based on the goals of the work, we carried out the definition of the criteria for
selecting journals, the collection of articles, the sorting of articles, content analysis and
presentation of results.
For the literature review, we proceeded to search for keywords, them and their
variations being: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, social sustainability,
indicators, definitions, green, performance mesurement, indices, organization, business, firm,
industry,sustainable development, environment management systems, ISO 14031, measures,
cleaner production and sustainable development.
We selected databases available on the CAPES Journal Portal to compose the
database, selecting those with the potential to collaborate with the research topic in
question, these being: Engineering Village, Elsevier, ISI Science Direct, Scopus and Wiley.
The software used to import the publications selected in the databases searched
was EndNote X6®. Upon completion of the search of the 18 keywords on the 6 databa-
ses, 13,928 publications were selected. Among these publications, the repeated articles
were removed, leaving 7,346 publications. Analyzing the alignment of the titles with the
objective of the research, 250 articles remained.
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3Sustainability and sustainable development
These 250 articles were submitted to analysis of the alignment of the abstract and
keywords relating to the research goal, therefore, leaving 141 articles with aligned titles,
abstracts and keywords. And, in the last selection, the bibliographic portfolio for content
analysis totaled 103 articles with total text alignment, freely available in the databases.
Next, we proceeded to read the full content of the articles. They were analyzed
according to (Figure 1): (I) authors and year; (ii) study on foundations or applied studies;
(iii) the dimensions of environmental, economic and social sustainability (ELKINGTON,
1994; SEURING 2013); (iv) individual, global or regional scale (RAMOS; CAEIRO, 2010;
TODOROV; MARINOVA, 2011); and (v) emphasis - in the sense of the purpose of the
article. Concomitant to content analysis, were analyzed gaps raised by the authors, therefore,
presented in the form of challenges in one of the following items. With this purpose, it is
important to mention that the items listed in the Figure mentioned allow for an initial refe-
rence on the topic of sustainability, but do not exhaust the countless possibilities that exist.
Literature Review
Sustainable Development and Sustainability
Emerged in the 1980s, the term SD emerged from the relationship between pre-
serving the planet and meeting human needs (IUCN, 1980). The Brundtland Report
(WCED, 1987) explains the same term simply as development that “meets the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs”. This definition is lasting because it is flexible and open to interpretation (PRUGH;
ASSADOURIAN, 2003).
In essence, SD is multi-dimensional, incorporating different aspects of society, se-
eking environmental protection and maintenance of natural capital to achieve economic
prosperity and equity for present and future generations (KELLY et al., 2004).
For other researchers, SD is seen as: the maintenance of essential ecological pro-
cesses, preservation of genetic diversity and sustainable use of species and ecosystems
(TISDELL, 1988); equal opportunities for future generations (CHICHILNISKY, 1996),
a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments,
orientation of technological and institutional change are made according to the future,
considering present needs (HOVE, 2009).
What we now call SD has evolved as an integrating concept, an umbrella under
which a set of inter-related issues can be gathered. This is a variable process of change
that seeks the ultimate goal of sustainability itself. In the same context, sustainability
is the ability of a human, natural or mixed system to resist or adapt to endogenous or
exogenous change indefinitely (DOVERS; HANDMER, 1992), represented as a goal or
end point (HOVE, 2009). Therefore, to achieve sustainability, sustainable development
is required (PRUG; ASSADOURIAN, 2003).
The concept of DS remains contested because of the different positions taken
in relation to what can be considered fair (TODOROV; MARINOVA, 2009). It is so
broad and generally applicable that its vagueness makes it dead and open to conflicting
Ambiente & Sociedade n São Paulo v. XVII, n. 1 n p. 1-20 n jan.-mar. 2014
4Sartori, Latrônico and Campos
interpretations (DOVERS; HANDMER, 1992). It does not explicitly embrace future
thoughts. In turn, almost all published definitions of the concept of SD are based on
principles of sustainability, for example, long-term perspective, fundamental importance
of local conditions, understanding the nonlinear evolution of environmental and human
systems (MOLDAN et al., 2012).
Thus, the term sustainability appeared regarding renewable resources and has been
adopted by the ecological movement. The concept refers to the existence of the ecological
conditions necessary to support human life at a specific level of wellness through future gene-
rations, and this is ecological sustainability and not sustainable development (LÉLÉ, 1991).
According to Ayres (2008), sustainability is a normative concept about how humans
should act in relation to nature, and how they are responsible for each other and future
generations. In this context, it is noted that sustainability is conducive to economic gro-
wth based on social justice and the efficient use of natural resources (LOZANO, 2012).
Often, sustainability is seen at two different levels: weak sustainability or strong
sustainability. Weak sustainability can be interpreted as the extension of economic welfare
(NEUMAYER, 2003), therefore, the economic capital produced by current generations
can compensate for loss of natural capital for future generations (FIORINO, 2011). The-
refore, in weak sustainability it is required that the value of natural capital is preserved, for
example, in the case of non-renewable resources, the extraction should be compensated
by investment in renewable resource substitutes of equal value (eg, wind farms to replace
fossil fuels in electricity generation).
In contrast, strong sustainability is a paradigm of non-substitutability, in which
there are natural systems that cannot be eroded or destroyed without compromising the
interests of future generations (FIORINO, 2011). Therefore, in strong sustainability it is
required that a subset of the total natural capital is preserved in physical terms, so that
their functions remain intact.
If the existence of sustainability depends on their socioeconomic and environmental
relationship, it can be seen as a major subject and addressed in different ways. Ignacy
Sachs (2002), for example, used eight types of sustainability (social, economic, ecological,
spatial, territorial, cultural, national and international policy) to display the dimensions
of what is called eco-development.
In the business, it became more convenient to think of sustainability as a “triple
bottom line”. Environmental sustainability is defined as the dematerialization of econo-
mic activity, since a decrease in material processing can reduce the pressure on natural
systems and expand the provision of environmental services to the economy. Economic
sustainability is the maintenance of natural capital, which is a necessary condition in
order to avoid economic degrowth (BARTELMUS, 2003). And the approach to social
sustainability refers to social homogeneity, fair income and access to goods, services and
employment (LEHTONEN, 2004).
Sustainability is discussed as a state in which three types of interests (or conflicts)
are met (or resolved) simultaneously: (i) the interests of the current generation to improve
their actual life conditions (economic sustainability), (ii) the search for an equalization
of living conditions between rich and poor (social sustainability), and (iii) the interests of
Ambiente & Sociedade n São Paulo v. XVII, n. 1 n p. 1-20 n jan.-mar. 2014
5Sustainability and sustainable development
future generations that are not committed to meeting the needs of the current generation
(environmental sustainability) (HORBACH, 2005).
Within the above context, there is a lack of consensus on the terms SD and
sustainability. This is due to the fact that sustainability is used to describe the processes
and activities (for example, sustainable finance, sustainable business, among others). In
other cases, the activities aim to be sustainable, such as sustainable tourism, sustainable
agriculture or sustainable buildings. Therefore, SD mainly focuses on people and their
well-being (MOLDAN et al., 2012).
Although there are several understandings, sustainability and SD aim to pass on
to future generations a stock of capital that is at least as large as our own generation has
inherited from previous generations (GAUSSIN et al., 2013). Concomitantly, they are
about collective choices and values. Because the values, politics and our understanding
of the Earth and its systems will evolve, and the notions of what is sustainable will never
be static (PRUGH; ASSADOURIAN, 2003).
Results
Characteristics of Sustainability
In order to understand what is being studied and proposed on sustainability, there
are many efforts that present, through studies on foundations or applied studies, objectives
and challenges that seek to answer the concerns of today: how to achieve sustainability.
According to Figure 1 the following key features involve:
i) conceptualizations and discussions on environmental, economic and societal
spheres, environmental change, environmental policies, growth and boun-
daries, economic degrowth, strong or weak sustainability, poverty and living
standards, causes and resource scarcity, planning and communication;
ii) development, use and evaluation of indicators and indices;
iii) cities, regions and countries, the manufacturing sector, economic systems,
industries, universities and scientific academies, supply chain and investment
projects, production systems;
iv) reviews of methodologies, performance evaluation, use of tools, sustainability
models;
v) search for causality between environmental, economic and social dimensions;
vi) long-term perspectives, time series, forecasting, sustainometrics;
vii) identification of challenges.
The numerous discussions and conceptualizations exist due to the plurality of
purpose in characterizing and measuring sustainability. An important step in reducing
this confusion is the acceptance of distinctions in terminology, data and methods (PAR-
RIS; KATES, 2003), which in turn, the real situation may be evaluated by considering
the particular characteristics of each region.
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6Sartori, Latrônico and Campos
In this context, sustainability occurs on several levels: global, regional and local.
What is sustainable at a regional level is not necessarily sustainable nationally. This
discrepancy is due to the geographical transfer mechanisms through the negative con-
sequences of a country or region to other countries or regions (SLIMANE 2012). The
regions do not use the same indicators for the same subject, the data are not uniformly
collected (VAN ZEIJL-ROZEMA et al., 2011). Therefore, decisions may be ineffective
or even counterproductive if not considering the characteristics of each region.
Most governments are engaged to sustainability, but for a better policy develop-
ment it is interesting to know the causality between the pillars of sustainability. A first
plausible mechanism is that environmental performance leads to changes in financial
performance. Or, the direction of causality can be reversed: profitable companies can afford
to invest in environmental performance. But improving the environmental performance
of a company can lead to economic improvement, and not necessarily an increase in cost
(AMBEC; LANOIE, 2008). The causal patterns between the pillars of sustainability are
quite sensitive to the characteristics of countries that are grouped, suggesting to avoid
generalizations across heterogeneous countries (HOSSEINI; KANEKO, 2011).
Expanded readings on social sustainability indicate the need to rely less on objective
data and evidence to encourage changes in human perspectives on environmental issues.
This is not a call to abandon environmental science, but a suggestion for its practitioners to
work alongside social scientists in order to explore how residents interpret and incorporate
concerns of the places in which they live and the world around them (VALLANCE et al.,
2011). As the debate on sustainability becomes more widespread and socially complex,
more is being appropriated by different social forces that start to define the meaning that
best expresses their values and interests (LIMA, 2003).
Aggeri et al. (2005) indicate that the sudden and massive involvement of large
companies in the sustainability discourse raises some contradictory debates: it is a new
discourse to speak of things that companies were already doing previously in social and
environmental protection; companies always exercised their responsibility towards society;
and, finally, the positioning of companies is a mechanical response to a number of external
pressures (new social and environmental regulations, criticizing from the civil society, etc.).
Martinet and Reynaud (2004) contribute to understanding the role that organiza-
tions can play in society. According to the authors, companies would shift between two
extremes: one financial and one sustainable. The financial extreme encourages a short-
-term horizon, standardizing growth models, which seeks the control and submission to
formal procedures. Now the sustainable extreme, opposing the financial end, aims at the
long term, the development of internal abilities, the concern with the social management
of employees and the concern with the ecological impact given the activities of the orga-
nization. Thus, thinking strategically and making decisions means stopping to aim only for
economic return and seeking to incorporate other dimensions, because the development
process is not constant or stable over time and space (GUIMARÃES; FEICHAS, 2009).
Despite the many debates associated with sustainability, many studies turn to the
operationalization by means of indicators and indices. To conceptualize phenomena and
highlight trends, indicators and sustainability indices simplify and quantify. Given this
Ambiente & Sociedade n São Paulo v. XVII, n. 1 n p. 1-20 n jan.-mar. 2014
7Sustainability and sustainable development
function, they must be developed for specific proposals, that is, that adequately represents
the sustainability of a region (SICHE et al., 2008).
FIGURE 1 – Characteristics and approaches to the topic of Sustaibability
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8Sartori, Latrônico and Campos
Briefly, it is possible to note the trajectory of studies around sustainability according
to the emphasis given in Table 1. Until the early 1990s, SD was a part of development
studies, environmental, urban and regional planning, human impact on the use of land
resources (renewable and finite), environmental changes (TOLBA, 1984; TISDELL,
1988; STEDMAN; HILL, 1992; REDCLIFT, 1992; SOLOW, 1993; AYRES, 1996). This
is due to the support of international agencies such as the United Nations Conference
on Environment in 1972, the Brundtland Commission with the Brundtland Report in
1987, the Montreal Protocol in 1989.
Academic initiatives gain strength with debates about what is SD and sustainability
(LÉLÉ, 1991; MITCHAM, 1995; MEBRATU, 1998; PARRIS; KATES 2003). Concomi-
tantly, sustainability is characterized by dimensions (KAIVO-OJA, 1999; FOXON et al,
1999; LEHTONEN, 2004; DEMPSEY, 2011).
In the business world, sustainability was introduced by the concept of sustainable
management, specifically in how companies produce their products and services, maintain
and improve human and natural resources, according to the approach by authors Isaksson
and Steimle (2009), Fauzi et al. (2010), Gaussin et al. (2013), Porter and Derry (2012),
Urban and Govender (2012), among others.
Another moment of this trajectory is the need for a quantitative assessment of
sustainability (EPSTEIN; ROY, 2001; LINTON; YEOMANS, 2002; CABEZAS; FATH,
2002; TODOROV; MARINOVA, 2011). In this context, evolution has brought many
forms of sustainability assessment, such as: indicators and indices (TYTECA, 1999; HUE-
TINGA; REIJNDERSB, 2004; MOLDAN et al., 2012; HAK et al., 2012; DAHL, 2012;
Singh et al., 2012), environmental tools (HOLLAND, 2003; GAUSSIN et al., 2013),
frameworks for organizational analysis (BITHAS; CHRISTOFAKIS, 2006; AMBEC;
LANOIE, 2008; ISAKSSON; STEIMLE, 2009).
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9Sustainability and sustainable development
For the reasons above, sustainability has gradual steps in the process of unders-
tanding and positioning the subject, but there are not necessarily boundaries between
one approach and another. Moreover, the trajectory can observe many challenges to be
overcome. Thus, the first step is to recognize them and develop ways to try to solve them
(HUESEMANN, 2004).
What are the challenges of sustainability?
Many are the problems that hinder progress towards sustainability and sustainable
development. The challenges are often related to the following criteria (REID et al., 2010):
(i) the need for global coordination; (ii) relevance to decision makers; and (iii) leverage.
Overcoming these initial challenges collaborates with forecasts of future environmental
conditions and their consequences for people.
After analyzing the content of the articles, there are several challenges to sustai-
nability:
1. Implementing environmental protection standards;
2. Capturing the external impacts of activities beyond the local level;
3. Recognizing social sustainability;
4. Human development;
5. Eradication of poverty;
6. Balanced production and consumption;
7. Promotion of education;
8. Development and maintenance of environmental resources;
9. Efficiency in resource allocation;
10. Cooperation among stakeholders, governments and the civil society;
11. Publicly available sustainability methodologies and indicators;
12. Use of complementary indicators on assessments;
13. Use holistic approaches;
14. Indicators for measuring the consumption of resources;
15. Population awareness;
16. Using a standard benchmark between countries;
17. Reconciling local objectives with the overall objectives;
18. Applied research that bring practical results;
19. Balance between the pillars of sustainability;
20. Dynamic sustainability indicators;
21. Pointers directed toward business and local systems;
22. Public participation in planning;
23. Participation of science and technology.
There has been little analysis of sustainable applications and what kind of results
can be expected. But there seems to be a consensus on the challenges of sustainability:
integrating economy, environment and society, as well as institutional issues; considering
Ambiente & Sociedade n São Paulo v. XVII, n. 1 n p. 1-20 n jan.-mar. 2014
10 Sartori, Latrônico and Campos
the consequences of the actions of the present in the future; awareness and involvement
of society.
In terms of development, it does not mean that society should reach a certain
specific state or follow a particular path. On the contrary, the important thing are the
factors that influence the evolution of society, so that it maintains characteristics that are
considered desirable to the current and future well-being (SILVA NETO; BASSO, 2010).
Conclusions
Sustainability has been defined from a long historical process, as well as the awa-
reness of environmental problems, economic crises and social inequalities. Because it is
a complex and ongoing concept, different approaches that attempt to understand and
explain sustainability arise. In this context, this study analyzed the sustainability theme,
mapping significant works on the subject, characterizing and identifying challenges.
Sustainability is characterized as a principle applicable to systems. Open systems,
to interact with society and nature, involving industrial systems (transportation, manu-
facturing, energy etc.), social systems (urbanization, mobility, communication, etc.) and
natural systems (soil, air, water and biotic systems etc.), including flows of information,
goods, materials, waste. That is, sustainability involves an interaction with dynamic sys-
tems that are constantly changing and require proactive measures.
In this research, few works that meet pro-activity were found, amongst them:
analysis of the dynamic behavior in complex and ecological systems (CABEZAS; FATH,
2002); use of forecasting in sustainability (LINTON; YEOMANS, 2002); development
of strategies for sustainability (MARSHALL; BROWN, 2003; MOORE; MANRING,
2009); green engineering projects (ANASTAS, 2003); environmental requirements
(SÃO-JOSÉ et al., 2007); education for sustainability (STABLES, 2009).
We conclude that the field of sustainability is emerging, characterized by a wide
variety of subjects from different areas and with different frameworks. However, with a
high and increasing number of papers published on the subject, many are the challenges for
future works: the need for applied research that bring practical results; finding a balance
at the Triple Bottom Line; indices and/or indicators to assess long-term sustainability;
goal alignment with the identified indicators.
For the purposes of this study, one should take into account the established de-
limitations: articles restricted to the CAPES Portal database; the keywords used in the
search of publications; and the fact that only works of the type article were considered.
As suggestions for future studies, we highlight the possibility of deepening the analysis,
including the use of clusters to analyze work in common.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank The National Council for Scientific and Technological De-
velopment (CNPq) for financial support, as well as the anonymous reviewers for their
comments and suggestions.
Ambiente & Sociedade n São Paulo v. XVII, n. 1 n p. 1-20 n jan.-mar. 2014
11Sustainability and sustainable development
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Submitted on: 03/09/2012
Accepted on: 24/09/2013
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1809-44220003491
SUSTAINABILITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
A TAXONOMY IN THE FIELD OF LITERATURE
SIMONE SARTORI
FERNANDA LATRÔNICO DA SILVA
LUCILA MARIA DE SOUZA CAMPOS
Resumo: O termo sustentabilidade é muito discutido, existindo uma variedade de pesquisas
sobre o assunto. Sem uma definição única, há um conjunto de pesquisas e estudos que
consideram os termos sustentabilidade e desenvolvimento sustentável como sinônimos e
há outro conjunto que não. A presente pesquisa selecionou 103 artigos relevantes, em um
período de 28 anos, com o objetivo de analisar o tema sustentabilidade, caracterizando
o estágio em que se encontra, lacunas e desafios para futuras contribuições. Os assuntos
abordados são diversos, como discussões nas esferas ambientais, econômicas e sociais,
crescimento e limites, padrões de vida, uso de recursos, indicadores e índices, ferramentas,
modelos de sustentabilidade; muitos são os debates e conceituações sobre o tema, mas sua
aplicabilidade é rara. Entretanto, há um consenso sobre os desafios da sustentabilidade:
integrar economia, ambiente, sociedade e as questões institucionais, considerar as conse-
quências das ações do presente no futuro, conscientização e envolvimento da sociedade.
Palavras-chaves: Triple Línea de base; Revisión de la Literatura; Sostenibilidad; Desarrollo
sostenible.
Abstract: The term sustainability is often discussed and there is a variety of research on
the theme. Without unique definition, there are series of research and studies that consider
the terms sustainability and sustainable development as synonymous and there are others
which don’t. This study selected 103 relevant articles within a period of 28 years, with
the aim of analyzing the sustainability theme, characterizing the stage it is, the gaps and
challenges for future contributions. The issues discussed are diverse, as discussions on the
environmental, economic and social dimensions, growth and limits, living standards, use of
resources, indicators and indices, tools, models of sustainability; there are many concepts
and debates about sustainability, but its applicability is rare. However, there is a consensus
on sustainability challenges: integrating economics, environment, society and institutional
issues, considering the consequences of the actions of this in the future, awareness and
involvement of society.
Keywords: Triple Bottom Line; Literature Review; Sustainability; Sustainable Development.
Resumen: Hay una variedad de investigaciones sobre el tema sustentabilidad. No existe una
definición única, hay un conjunto de investigaciones y estudios que tengan en cuenta la
sustentabilidad y el desarrollo sustentable términos indistintamente y no hay otro conjunto.
Este estudio seleccionó 103 artículos pertinentes el período de 28 años con el objetivo de
analizar el tema sustentabilidad, caracterización de la etapa en la que es y desafíos para las
contribuciones futuras. Los temas tratados son diversos, como debates sobre crecimiento
y límites, dimensiones ambiental, económico y social, nivel de vida, uso de los recursos,
indicadores e índices, modelos de sustentabilidad. Hay muchos conceptos y debates sobre
el tema, pero su aplicabilidad es raro. Sin embargo, existe un consenso sobre los desafíos
de sustentabilidad: la integración economía, ambiente, sociedad y las cuestiones institucio-
nales, considerar las consecuencias de las acciones de este en el futuro, la sensibilización
y participación de la sociedad.
Palabra clave: Triple Línea de base; Revisión de la Literatura; Sostenibilidad; Desarrollo
sostenible.
... However, the body of literature comes from a wide range of sports-related disciplines and varies widely in terms of concepts and definitions, as well as content and methodology. The lack of systematization in the current state of knowledge is further complicated by multivocal definitions and a general vagueness surrounding the concept of sustainability (Lindsey 2008;Purvis et al. 2019;Sartori et al. 2014). This is problematic for the development of the research field and complicates usability for coaches and sporting bodies who are the primary stakeholders in the transformation process being called for. ...
... Based on the Latin root word 'to sustain', Spindler (2013, 11) describes sustainability as "a derivation of the noun 'sustenance' meaning 'what one retains'." Due to increased usage in global policy work (Feil and Schreiber 2017;Purvis et al. 2019;UN 2015), and in different areas of knowledge (Ruggerio 2021), the concept of sustainability has obtained multiple definitions, contributing to a degree of "fuzziness" and vagueness in terms of its meaning (Lindsey 2008;Purvis et al. 2019;Sartori et al. 2014;Spindler 2013;Wals and Jickling 2002). ...
... Looking at athletic performance ideals, Loland (2001Loland ( , 2006 argues that exact quantification in terms of athletic records is unsustainable as it requires unlimited growth in limited systems, with problematic implications for the health and well-being of future generations of athletes. Further complicating the described lack of terminological consensus (Purvis et al. 2019;Sartori et al. 2014), the terms sustainability and sustainable development are often used interchangeably (Olawumi and Chan 2018;Purvis et al. 2019;Sartori et al. 2014). To clarify, Escher (2020) suggests that sustainable development refers to the process, while sustainability refers to "the overall outcome of the sustainable development where the economic, environmental and social factors are balanced in equal harmony" (2803). ...
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... According to Elkington [40], sustainability designates the ability to resist or adapt over time to changes, whose change to obtain improvements corresponds to the population's needs. For Elkington [40], the definition would be the balance between environmental, economic, and social categories, and companies should employ sustainability to generate stable business [41]. However, a more recent definition states that sustainability is a process to achieve desired sustainable development [42]. ...
... Many researchers mistakenly use the term sustainable development to express the same meaning as sustainability. However, the former term refers to the common interest of society based on its principles of industrial ecology, reuse, environmental management, and zero waste, among others [41,43,44]. Thus, studies on these terms have been increasing, both to try to explain better the definition of the terms sustainability and sustainable development and to develop more efficient ways to apply these proposals in everyday life. ...
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... Sartori et al. [1] define sustainability as a long-term process, as well as an awareness of environmental problems, economic crises, and social inequalities. The field of sustainable development is characterized by a wide range of subjects from different fields and with different frameworks. ...
... However, sustainability is characterized as a principle that applies to systems. These systems are open for interaction with society and nature, including industrial systems (transport, manufacturing, energy, etc.), social systems (urbanization, mobility, etc.), and natural systems (air, water, etc.), including flows of information, goods, materials, and others [1]. The authors state that sustainability involves interaction with dynamic systems that are constantly changing and require proactive measures. ...
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Background: As road transport companies increasingly integrate electric trucks (eTrucks) into urban fleets, evaluating their performance in real-world conditions is essential for effective fleet management and infrastructure planning. Methods: This study introduces TraPodSim, a simulation system designed to assess the key performance indicators (KPIs) of eTrucks and other vehicle types. Using real geographic data, transportation routes, and technical vehicle specifications, the system simulates daily operations under user-defined conditions. Results: TraPodSim produces 20 physical indicators, providing detailed insights into the daily performance of each vehicle in the fleet. These indicators help evaluate fleet efficiency, energy consumption, and overall operational effectiveness. Conclusions: TraPodSim offers transport companies a valuable tool for optimizing fleet configurations and analyzing the use of private or public battery-charging stations, enabling the efficient integration of eTrucks into existing transportation networks.
... The concept of sustainable development has become a central reference point in scientific research pertaining to the environment and has attained a paradigmatic status in the field of development (Alvarado-Herrera et al., 2017;Gore, 2015). It is often used interchangeably with the concept of sustainability, even within academic and scientific domains, as evident in the existing literature (Olawumi & Chan, 2018;Sartori et al., 2014). Mensah (2019) highlights the existence of numerous definitions associated with this concept. ...
Research
This study examines the determinants influencing Generation Z's intention to support the sustainable development in tourism, with a focus on Nha Trang, Vietnam. This research aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to propose strategic directions for Nha Trang's sustainable tourism trajectory. Utilizing a quantitative method, data were collected from 394 Generation Z individuals in Ho Chi Minh City. The study's robust methodological approach ensures the reliability and validity of the findings. Empirical analysis reveals that Sustainable Tourism Attitude, Sustainable Tourism Belief, Perceived Sustainable Destination Image (predictors) and Environmental Knowledge (moderators) positively influence Generation Z's intentions towards sustainable tourism support. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research in sustainable tourism development.
... Konsep diatas sesuai dengan paradigma pembangunan di dunia saat ini tidak hanya tentang pertumbuhan ekonomi tapi juga membahas pembangunan sosial yang diharapkan dapat menciptakan kesejahteraan. Pergeseran ini sendiri sudah dimulai sejak Konferensi Tingkat Tinggi (KTT) Sosial PBB di Kopenhangen 1995 menetapkan sebuah konsesus baru untuk menempatkan manusia sebagai fokus perhatian dalam pembangunan berkelanjutan dengan salah satu tujuannya adalah mengentaskan kemiskinan (Sartori et al., 2014). ...
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The development paradigm in the world today is not only about economic growth but also discusses social development that is expected to create prosperity; even the first goal of sustainable development agreed upon by all countries is poverty alleviation. As a developing country, overcoming this problem is inseparable from external assistance. For decades, foreign debt and investment have financed Indonesia's growth. This study investigates the direct and indirect effects of foreign debt and foreign investment on poverty, with economic growth as an intervening variable. This study uses a quantitative methodology, using the path analysis method in the data processing. The results state that the foreign debt variable hurts monetary development. Through economic growth, foreign debt also has a negative direct and indirect impact on poverty in Indonesia. The foreign investment variable has no direct or indirect effect on poverty in Indonesia and does not impact economic growth. In addition, this study shows that Indonesian poverty is not affected by economic growth.
... Entendida la sostenibilidad empresarial (SE) como el enfoque de proteger y fortalecer los cimientos de la organización por medio de la alineación de factores sociales y ambientales para sostener el éxito a largo plazo (Nidumolu et al., 2015) sin afectar el entorno ecológico centrado en la alineación del logro del desarrollo económico, ambiental y social (Mullens, 2018;Sartori et al., 2014). ...
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Despite the increase in the trend of research on innovation capacity in SMEs, no reviews of previous literature focused on business sustainability were found. Therefore, this study aimed to carry out a narrative analysis of the literature on the facilitators of innovation capabilities in SMEs and their mediators in business sustainability, through the narrative literature review of 81 documents through the Scopus databases. and WoS and a brief descriptive analysis of the scientific production through Scopus. The reviewed literature leads to the conclusion that SMEs that are receptive to external facilitators and fostered by internal facilitators generate innovation capacities and these through mediators contribute to business sustainability in the economic field; with export performance, marketing performance and business orientation, in the environmental field; with green innovation, technological innovation and business orientation and in the social field; with open innovation and entrepreneurial orientation, in order to create competitive advantages for the survival and growth of SMEs in the long term.
... According to prior literature [20,76], sustainability is used to describe a system's ability to balance social and economic needs without compromising ecological systems. According to Sartori et al. [77], the term 'business sustainability' emphasizes on the attainment of three key goals: economic, social, and environmental performance. Meng [78] outlined that business sustainability places equal importance on both the achievement of a company's goals and the welfare of the society. ...
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This research aimed to explore the effect of market orientation, marketing capability, and entrepreneurial orientation on business sustainability and corporate reputation in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). It also aimed to test the mediating effect of business sustainability between the stated factors and corporate reputation. The required data was obtained from employees of various SMEs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through a survey method. Structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis in order to test the hypotheses and reach at conclusions. The analysis confirmed that entrepreneurial orientation and market orientation have significant effects on business sustainability and corporate reputation. It was also found that marketing capability plays a key role in affecting business sustainability and corporate reputation. Lastly, the results revealed that business sustainability mediates the relationship among the selected factors and corporate reputation. The findings contribute to the existing empirical research on this topic and suggest that SMEs’ management should emphasize on these factors in an attempt to ensure the sustainability of their businesses and strengthen their reputations.
... The terms 'sustainability' and 'sustainable development' are frequently used interchangeably in various publications and are not strictly distinguished (Bettencourt & Kaur, 2011;Deng, 2015;Zhu & Hua, 2017). As discussed by Olawumi & Chan (2018) and Sartori, et al. (2014), the interchangeability is due to the association of both concepts to the main agenda of global economic development. The two terms are frequently used interchangeably, even in academic and scientific fields, as evidenced by the literature. ...
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Early-stage enterprises significantly contribute to economic development through innovation, job creation, and productivity enhancement. However, these enterprises face substantial financial challenges, particularly in securing capital that adheres to ethical and Sharia-compliant principles. This paper investigates the use of Qardh al-Hasan, an altruistic loan concept in Islamic finance, as a strategic tool for supporting sustainable development initiatives within early-stage enterprises. By leveraging Qardh al-Hasan, which embodies social solidarity and economic justice in Islam, the study proposes a conceptual framework to enhance entrepreneurial resilience and sustainable business practices among nascent businesses. Employing a descriptive analysis and a framework-based review, the research explores strategies to optimize Qardh al-Hasan in financing early-stage enterprises, positioning it as an effective mechanism for addressing sustainability challenges. Key findings reveal Qardh al-Hasan’s potential in fostering sustainable development, while highlighting practical challenges such as default risk, management issues, and liquidity requirements. The analysis indicates a deviation of many Islamic financial institutions from the social objectives of Islamic finance, prioritizing economic growth over holistic development. The theoretical implications enhance the understanding of Qardh al-Hasan’s role in achieving economic and social justice, while practical implications advocate for its integration into modern financial systems to support entrepreneurship and reduce social inequality, emphasizing the need for adequate management and supranational support. This paper’s novelty lies in its innovative approach to repositioning Qardh al-Hasan within contemporary Islamic finance, proposing a comprehensive model that addresses both theoretical and practical challenges, thus advancing the sustainable development objectives of Islamic finance by integrating underprivileged segments into the formal economy. Keywords: Sustainable development, Qardh al-Hasan, Islamic finance, early-stage enterprises.
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O presente artigo objetiva analisar o papel atribuído à agroecologia diante do ODS 2–Fome zero e agricultura sustentável, no alcance das metas desse objetivo e a contribuição para a Agenda Global de Desenvolvimento 2015-2030.
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In a concise and crisp manner, this book presents the state of the art in ecological economics, an interdisciplinary field focused on the analysis of sustainability of global, national and regional economic systems. An elegant guide, the book offers a range of cutting edge methods used in sustainability research including multicriteria decision aid (MCDA), input-output analysis, and life cycle analysis. This book is packed with references for students with some background in economics, environmental science or mathematics who aim to develop the analytical skills required for redirecting our development path towards sustainability in government, international organisations, academia, non-profit sector and business. As such, the book is primarily aimed at MSc and first year PhD students reading for degrees in Environmental Change and Management, Ecological Economics, Environmental Management, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and those taking part in similar programmes. The book strives to develop the idea that a significant adjustment of the current economic theories is required, an idea supported by the emerged world economic crisis, the climatic and biodiversity crisis the world is currently facing and the enormously slow progress that has been made in the field of reorientation of the global economy towards sustainability. The practical case studies provided focus on the most pressing topics of today, and the book adopts a positive approach for problem solving and strategic development, which is aimed at educating the future decision makers and business leaders. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012. All Rights Reserved.
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We know that a sustainable global human society is imperative and what must be done to move toward it. In this context what usually comes to mind are familiar solutions such as solar, wind, and hydrogen energy technologies; habitat and species protection; control of our own consumption and population-all of which environmentalists have been urging for years. These share a deference to the cyclical character of the Earth's systems and the need to harmonize the human economy with them. Since the industrial revolution, we have increasingly ignored or altered the natural cycles-carbon, nitrogen, hydrological-that replenish these systems. The resulting explosion in economic output has come at the cost of the long-term and dangerous depletion of natural capital. The costs by now are as familiar as the solutions: by relying heavily on nitrogen fertilizer instead of organic farm waste, for instance, we have reduced the fertility of agricultural lands and created enormous dead zones in our oceans and rivers. Our vast and accelerating logging operations and ubiquitous dependence on fossil fuels have increased atmospheric carbon concentrations to levels never seen before. By diverting or damming rivers, we've dried out seas (or created new ones), changed local weather patterns, and disrupted entire ecosystems. We know this cannot go on. Returning to a cyclical system-harvesting renewable resources sustainably, reusing and recycling materials in preference to mining virgin ones, rebuilding and nurturing agricultural soils, weaning ourselves off of fossil fuels, and so on-along with respectful husbanding of biodiversity, will start us down the path of material sustainability. Giving due and purposeful attention to the inequities that lock billions into wretched poverty and undermine the security of all will start us toward social sustainability.
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Composite indicators are increasingly used for bench-marking countries’ performances. Yet doubts are often raised about the robustness of the resulting countries’ rankings and about the significance of the associated policy message.We propose the use of uncertainty analysis and sensitivity analysis to gain useful insights during the process of building composite indicators, including a contribution to the indicators’ definition of quality and an assessment of the reliability of countries’ rankings.We discuss to what extent the use of uncertainty and sensitivity analysis may increase transparency or make policy inference more defensible by applying the methodology to a known composite indicator: the United Nations technology achievement index.
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The conventional wisdom concerning environmental protection is that it comes at an additional cost imposed on firms, which may erode their global competitiveness. However, during the last decade, this paradigm has been challenged by a number of analysts (e.g., Porter & van der Linde, 1995), who have argued basically that improving a company's environmental performance can lead to better economic or financial performance, and not necessarily to an increase in cost. The aim of this paper is to review empirical evidence of improvement in both environmental and economic or financial performance. We systematically analyze the mechanism involved in each of the following channels of potential revenue increase or cost reduction owing to better environmental practices: (a) better access to certain markets; (b) differentiating products; (c) selling pollution-control technology; (d) risk management and relations with external stakeholders; (e) cost of material, energy, and services; (f) cost of capital; and (g) cost of labor. In each case, we try to identify the circumstances most likely to lead to a "win-win" situation, i.e., better environmental and financial performance. We also provide a diagnostic of the type of firms most likely to reap such benefits.
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Organizations are paying greater attention to the environmental impact of their business activities, as external stakeholders such as shareholders, customers and policy makers are increasingly demanding improved environmental performance from firms globally. Clean production and green products have become important issues to manufacturers as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has produced frameworks such as the ISO14001 series. These standards are intended to provide organizations with the elements of an effective environmental management system (EMS) that can be integrated with other management requirements and assist organizations achieve environmental and economic goals.
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After reviewing recent attempts to develop sustainability indicators, this article shows how the principles of productive efficiency can be used to elaborate such indicators at the firm level. The theory of productive efficiency is somewhat expanded to incorporate fundamental issues of sustainable development: environment, equity, and futurity. Efficiency, in the expanded notion of productive efficiency, is viewed as a necessary condition for sustainability. Working with aggregate performance indicators, it is important not to lose track of the relevant basic information. Therefore, instead of elaborating one unique indicator, we propose to implement several kinds of indicators, each of which stresses one particular focus (e.g., environmental vs. social concerns). The definition of sustainable development indicators is illustrated with reference to a small data set of U.S. fossil fuel-fired electric utilities. In a sustainability perspective, two important aspects are stressed, namely, the use of nonrenewable resources and the inclusion of employment as a variable to maximize rather than an input to minimize. The article ends with a discussion of the significance of, and limits to, the proposed indicators.
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This paper reflects on the extensive literature on environmental sustainability that has been produced over the last two decades, and proposes a new approach for environmental policy that goes beyond the cost-benefit analysis that has proved so difficult to implement for non-marginal environmental issues. This approach combines the Safe Minimum Standard approach, which was proposed many years ago, with the concepts of environmental functions and ecosystem goods and services, which have been developed much more recently. It is shown that this approach provides the basis for a robust calculation of sustainability across different environmental themes, following which a 'sustainability gap', showing the extent to which this standard is not being met, may be computed. This gap may be expressed in both physical and monetary terms, which permits the formulation of sustainability performance in a scientifically robust, easily communicable indicator that may be compared with GDP. While there appear to be no insurmountable scientific or practical obstacles to the full operationalization of this approach, it remains to be seen whether human societies are sufficiently concerned about the implications of continuing environmental unsustainability to make the resources available for such operationalization, and to enact the policies to allow the sustainability standards to be met.