More and more people are using the term sustainability, but what does it really mean and how can you work sustainably?
When we talk about sustainability…
… we usually do it from three aspects:
- Economic sustainability: A business that wants to last in the long run must also make a profit. The focus is on the healthy use of resources at the same time. Terms such as green economy, circular economy and green growth are becoming more and more common.
- Social sustainability: taking responsibility for people and ensuring that human rights are not violated. This includes caring for individuals’ health, education, safety and opportunities in society.
- Environmental sustainability: We need to take responsibility for the Earth’s ecosystems and ensure the long-term preservation of their functions for our survival by protecting natural resources and promoting biodiversity.
All three aspects are interrelated and one cannot be pursued at the expense of the other two. The environmental aspect is often described as fundamental to the other two.
Do you have a question about sustainability?
Send an email to hej@hallbarhetsteamet.se
Questions & answers
What are the global goals?
On September 25, 2015, UN member states adopted Agenda 2030 – the most ambitious agreement ever adopted by world leaders on sustainable development. Agenda 2030 contains 17 goals, with 169 targets, to be achieved by 2030 with the aim of:
- Eradicating extreme poverty
- Reducing inequalities and injustices in the world
- Promoting peace and justice
- Solving the climate crisis
What is EU Taxonomy?
The EU has adopted a green growth strategy called the ‘Green Deal’. It includes a taxonomy to help investors determine the environmental sustainability of different economic activities through a common classification system.
The taxonomy thus becomes a tool for the EU to reach its climate goals, as investments need to be steered more towards sustainable projects and activities.
The classification system consists of six adopted environmental objectives. For an economic activity to be considered environmentally sustainable, it must contribute significantly to one of the six environmental objectives, but must not cause harm to any of the other five, and it must meet certain minimum requirements in terms of social sustainability.
How to make a climate calculation?
A climate calculation shows the total climate impact of an activity. There are many different calculation methods, a commonly used standard being the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG).
The calculation is based on three different scopes, which take into account both internal and external climate impacts. By collecting data from different emission sources, the following climate impacts are calculated:
- Scope 1 – Direct emissions occurring in own operations
- Scope 2 – Indirect emissions that occur in the company’s own operations (e.g. purchase of electricity, heating, cooling and steam)
- Scope 3 – Indirect emissions along the entire value chain, not owned or controlled by the organization
What does a sustainability manager actually do?
Many companies nowadays choose to employ a full-time sustainability officer. But what might such a role look like?
Many sustainability managers describe their work as two-fold. On the one hand, you need to follow up on routines, processes and constantly review the work, and on the other hand you need to think ahead and visionary – where do we want to be in 15-20 years?
Being a sustainability manager often involves practical tasks such as being responsible for and preparing a sustainability report with all its implications, communicating different types of sustainability facts and figures and engaging employees in different initiatives and activities.
In other words, a smorgasbord of tasks!