According to the Enel Group, the three pillars of sustainability are environmental, social, and economic. Sustainability is an essential approach towards present and future challenges because it contains long-term conservationist goals that aim to maximise individual and environmental well-being.
What Are The Origins Of Sustainability?
Sustainability, first coined as sustainable development by the Brundtland Report in 1987, refers to the human resources which work towards extreme poverty reduction, global gender equity, and wealth distribution. The Brundtland Report also implemented strategies to prevent environmental degradation.
What Are The Aims Of Sustainability?
Sustainability aims to protect the planet and human life. The concept of sustainable development emerged from a discussion on climate change, economic development, and global goals.
How Do The Three Pillars Of Sustainability Relate To The Corporate World?
Sustainability encompasses economic, environmental, and social issues. Sustainable development therefore requires companies to contribute towards economic growth, social progress, and environmental conservation. Sustainability asks companies to consider their impact on climate change.
What Is The Social Pillar Of Sustainability?
The social pillar of sustainability refers to values that promote equality and individual rights. Sustainable social concerns include:
- Combatting social exclusion and discrimination: supporting reintegration, gender equality, reducing the gender pay gap, promoting training, applying global social rights.
- Promote solidarity: reduce social inequalities by collaborating with local and international associations, prioritizing fair trade.
- Support the well-being of stakeholders: develop social dialogue, encourage transparency, adapt working hours, make premises accessible to all mobility types.
What Is The Economic Pillar Of Sustainability?
The economic pillar of sustainability refers to a company’s ability to contribute towards economic development and growth. This means a company must encourage and promote the protection of the economy by limiting the risks of their production. This can be achieved through the recycling of products and the use of renewable energy.
What Is The Environmental Pillar Of Sustainability?
The environmental pillar of sustainability is founded on a commitment to protect the environment by reducing a company’s carbon footprint. This includes:
- Saving and preserving natural energy or agricultural resources
- Reducing total greenhouse gas emissions
- Consciousness of sustainability goals
- Prevention of water scarcity
- Reduction in overall waste
- Setting targets to improve environmental performance under the guidelines of Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility
Is There A Fourth Pillar Of Sustainability?
Oftentimes the pillar of culture is acknowledged as a feature of sustainability. This refers to the differences in sustainable lifestyles and carbon emissions in diverse places, ranging from cities like New York to small island developing states. Culture incorporates the social, economic, and environmental pillars of sustainability.
What Is The Relationship Between Culture And The Three Pillars Of Sustainability?
According to the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001) and the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005), culture relates to the social pillar of sustainability through its inclusivity. Culture aligns with economic industries of cultural heritage, tourism, and creative crafts.
Culture plays a significant role in the United Nations and intertwines with institutions such as education, science, communication, social cohesion, and international cooperation.
How To Incorporate The Pillars Of Sustainability Into Your Company:
To incorporate the social pillar of sustainability, ensure the well-being of employees. Companies advance with happier employees.
To adhere to the economic pillar of sustainability, optimize your budget. Adopt a responsible approach through encouraging recycling, limiting waste, using renewable raw materials, ensuring sustainable consumption of energy, and better resource management.
Lastly, to contribute towards an environmentally sustainable company, improve corporate social responsibility strategy by integrating environmental targets into company management.
Tangible Ways To Improve Your Sustainability
Social pillar:
- Encourage remote working
- Integrate Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN
- Promote training and access to employment
Economic pillar:
- Review energy consumption
- Renovate and insulate buildings
Environmental pillar:
- Ensure better waste management – promote ‘zero packaging’ where possible
- Use renewable energy sources
- Implement eco-friendly travel plans (such as company shuttle services to reduce vehicles to combat climate change)
Conclusion
The three pillars of sustainability are easily incorporated into a company through social, economic, and environmental considerations.
