Sustainability for dummies
If you are here, I mean you want to know more about sustainability.
Wikipedia writes: “Sustainability is the capacity to endure in a relatively ongoing way across various domains of life.
In the 21st century, it refers generally to the capacity for Earth’s biosphere and human civilization to co-exist.
It is also defined as the process of people maintaining change in a homeostasis-balanced environment, in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations.”
In simple words, sustainability is a way to act in respect of nature at 360°.
“Sustainability ” was introduced at the United Nations Conference on the Environment of 1972.
In 1982 “our common future” a report of the word commissionary and defined for the first time the “sustainable development ”(A vision that is not always paid).
It can be…
- Ambiental: guarantee the availability and quality of natural resources.
- Economic: to guarantee the quality of life, secure and citizen service.
- Social: to guarantee economic efficiency and income for businesses.
In 1992 at Rio de Janeiro ONU utilized Agenda 21.
A comprehensive plan to be taken globally to take action against climate change was adopted by 178 governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. (UNCED)
In September of 2015 ONU has defined the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals)
These are the 17 goals :
- 1: Defeat poverty
- 2: Defeat hunger
- 3: Health and well-being
- 4: Quality education
- 5: Gender equality
- 6: Clean water and sanitation
- 7: Clean and accessible energy
- 8: Decent work and economic growth
- 9: Businesses, innovation, and infrastructures
- 10: Reduce inequalities
- 11: Sustainable cities and communities
- 12: Responsible consumption and production
- 13: Fight against climate change
- 14: Life underwater
- 15: Life on Earth
- 16: Peace, justice, and strong institutions
- 17: Partnership for the goals
There is another sustainability field….the circular economy.
This is an industry model that is designed to act as a measure for the safeguard of ambiental ecosystems.
Transitioning to a circular economy does not only amount to adjustments aimed at reducing the negative impacts of the linear economy. It even represents a systemic change that generates business and economic opportunities.
The principles of the circular economy are 3 :
- Design out waste and pollution.
- Keep products and materials in use.
- Regenerate natural system.
There are several types of business that comes from the circular economy :
- Circular product design: Creating products, from recycling to reuse.
- Use, reuse, share, and repair: Creating durable goods from recycled and reused bits of product that can be inputs for downstream circular business models.
- Collection & reverse logistics: Close the material life-cycle loop by creating products that can be upcycled, repurposed, and re-sold.
- Sorting & preprocessing: Finding alternative value in the parts that make a product whole.
I write this article to spread awareness of this topic.
I don’t know if it will go to something, but I hope so.
Have a good day, and enjoy your life,
Benedict.
