Sustainability is the goal of sustainable development, a widely applied concept that gained international recognition following the publication in 1987 of the Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future (commonly referred to as the Brundtland Report)[17]. Since then, the importance of sustainability and sustainable development has been reiterated in numerous
international forums, such as the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 (the “Rio Declaration”), the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012 (“Rio+20”).

Sustainability encompasses three dimensions (economic, environmental and social) which are interdependent and can be mutually reinforcing. The environment sets natural limits to the social system, which is made up of human institutions and individuals. The economy, as one part of the social system, includes the consumption of resources, employment, meeting the needs of populations (which are typically growing), income, and the distribution and use of products. Sustainability has been misunderstood by some as being primarily an environmental concept, including issues such as climate change, non-sustainable resource use or depletion, and loss of fertile soil and biodiversity.

However, sustainability also includes social and economic issues, such as social structures, standards of living, income distribution, production, distribution and use of resources, products and services, and employment. Sustainability relates to the interaction with, and relationship between, these issues.

Sustainability is relevant to all levels of human activity, from the global level to the national, regional and community levels, as well as to the behaviour of individuals. It is also affected by all kinds of organizations, including governments, non-governmental organizations, companies, co-operatives, federations and unions. Sustainability is much more likely to be achieved by society as a whole if social, economic and environmental aspects are addressed in an integrated manner.

NOTE Annex C provides examples of how to develop provisions on environmental aspects.

As defined in 3.1, sustainability refers to a state of the global system, encompassing the environmental, social and economic subsystems, in which the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Given the intergenerational nature of sustainability (i.e. the needs of future generations cannot be fully defined by the present generation) and the constant changes in the environmental, societal (e.g. population growth) and economic subsystems, sustainability cannot be described purely in terms of a single fixed end point. From this perspective, sustainability is a characteristic of the planet as a whole, and not of any particular activity or organization. However, sustainable development addresses the activities and products of particular organizations (or communities, nations, etc.) and the ability to engage in such development in a manner that contributes to sustainability. Such development is needed to meet the needs of both present and future generations, and is therefore essential to sustainability.

In this context, sustainability and sustainable development issues can be viewed as concerns about changes (adverse or beneficial) to the environmental, societal or economic subsystems as a result of development, which can affect the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability issues can arise from a wide range of activities and products that interact with, or can have an impact on, society, the economy or the environment.

The terms “sustainability”, “sustainable development” and “social responsibility” are used interchangeably by some stakeholders, but even though there is a close relationship between them, they are three different concepts and are therefore not interchangeable. Since sustainable development relates to the economic, social and environmental goals common to all people, it can be used to refer the broader expectations of society.

Social responsibility encompasses an organization’s responsibility for the impact of its decisions and activities on society, the environment and economy, and therefore the organization’s contribution to sustainable development and sustainability. Although the term “corporate social responsibility” (CSR) might be a more familiar term than “social responsibility”, the view has recently emerged that “social responsibility” is applicable to all organizations, as different types of entities or groups of people and facilities, both inside and outside the business world, recognize that they also have a responsibility to contribute to current sustainable development and future sustainability.

The standards development process provides standards writers with the opportunity to contribute to sustainable development, and in particular to encourage sustainable production and consumption.

[17] Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development/Brundtland Report, Our CommonFuture. Oxford University Press, 1987

Source: ISO/Guide 82:2014 Guidelines for addressing sustainability in standards