Levels of sustainability
Author: Jaakko Mattila
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Sustainability has become a frequent topic in corporate discussions. However, there are clearly different levels of sustainability, ranging from ‘weak’ to ‘strong’, based on the actions taken by organizations. But what actions and mindsets define these different levels? And most importantly, what must we do to reach the strongest level?
There is a compelling reason to focus on sustainability at this very moment. We are in the defining decade for the future of our planet and human civilization, as climate change must be limited to 1.5°C by 2030 (IPCC). While the planet is getting hotter, it is hard to find anything as meaningful as contributing to the continuation of life and prosperity on Earth. While the challenge may feel immense, exploring a new direction for our society is both necessary and intriguing.
However, companies – and the people working within them – often have different perspectives on what the sustainability transformation actually requires. As a result, a spectrum has emerged around the term ‘sustainability,’ encompassing what we might call weak sustainability, actionable sustainability, and strong sustainability. Let’s examine these different levels and the actions and frames of thinking that underpin them.
The lowest level of sustainability
At the weakest level of sustainability lies the ‘business as usual’ approach. Here, sustainability is distorted to become a synonym for Lean practices: resource efficiency and smart growth. The thinking goes, “Let’s produce higher quality products more efficiently.” This mindset leads companies to look at their current operations, grab a metaphorical green spray can, and label existing activities as ‘sustainable’, showcasing them as examples of responsible business practices.
It is as if companies have been acting sustainably all along, and the planetary crisis we face today just appeared out of nowhere. Weak sustainability is a mindset that relegates sustainability to a side concern – an inconvenience to be dealt with while the focus remains on driving an ever-growing market and its endless demand. This form of ‘sustainability’ is, in reality, completely unsustainable.
The next level: What companies should do right now
At the next level of sustainability, companies make a genuine effort. They invest significantly in renewing their infrastructure, processes, and products to be more resource-efficient and circular. They transition to renewable energy and move away from fossil fuels. Biobased materials take priority, with a focus on selecting those that consume fewer natural resources. Companies manage their value chains with due diligence, ensuring that all operations start aligning with planetary boundaries. Across the board, they invest in renewing their business.
At this level, companies focus on what they can control and influence most directly – how to achieve short-term reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss, both in their operations and across their value chains. This is the sustainability demanded by this decade, as we redesign our businesses to be more sustainable, implementing the technologies at hand.
This is what companies must do, as much and as quickly as possible. It is the direction the EU Green Deal is pushing us toward. It is where startups are innovating, technologies are advancing, and new unicorns are emerging. This is where the focus of our economy and future growth is shifting.
The strongest sustainability transforms our entire system
At the highest level is strong sustainability, which ensures the future I like to imagine: a life where stress is limited, and basic necessities are secured with a reasonable amount of effort, resources, and energy. This allows time to enjoy relationships, leisure, and learning through play. It is a world less focused on ownership and more focused on experiences – less about what you have and more about who you are.
This level of sustainability not only involves the transition to sustainable technologies and infrastructure at the corporate level but also seeks to transform our entire economic system. This is the work political advocacy, activism and visionary thinking aims at – a systemic change that decouples increasing well-being from the relentless pursuit of economic growth.
To ensure vitality, radical innovativations, such as technology that produces protein from the air, are needed.
Why do we need a paradigm shift?
Over the past 200 years, we have lived through one of the most transformative periods in human history. The Industrial Revolution doubled the Earth’s population, and capitalism quadrupled it again. We have grown from one billion people to over eight billion. This has been an era of technological advancement and prosperity unlike any other, which has molded our lives and our cultures to their current form. We have experienced economic growth, digitalization and globalization and have transformed the human experience on earth.
Yet, in the face of the planetary crisis, we are reaching the limits of our current paradigm. Technological advancements have accelerated, but they have been fueled by the unsustainable use of resources. Moreover, the scale of human activity has become so vast that our very existence now acts as a planetary force.
Exploring alternative system models
Several thinkers, including Kate Raworth, Jason Hickel, and the Ernst & Young New Economy Unit, have proposed models that challenge the current paradigm and offer visions of possible futures. These alternative systems aim to align human life within planetary boundaries. Achieving this requires not only a green transformation through corporate sustainability efforts but also an economic structure that is free from the necessity of perpetual growth.
Ernst and Young describe an economy based on sufficiency and circularity, along with a redefinition of value in how we measure progress and well-being – paving the way for a globally just and equitable system. Kate Raworth’s model outlines the boundaries our economic system must respect, addressing both basic social needs and ecological limits. Jason Hickel’s degrowth model advocates for reducing resource use, redistributing wealth, and pursuing planned economic degrowth.
These frameworks offer vital alternatives to consider when creating a roadmap for sustainability and a strategy for the long term.
Pursuing an ideal solution does not mean that a perfect solution is always achievable. Instead, it serves as a good guideline and motivator, encouraging creative thinking.
How to get started?
I encourage everyone to take action within their own context, right now, by embracing sustainable solutions that are already available. Allow the leap to the unknown as we redefine the systems that define human activities, culture, and life on a global scale. Trust that sustainability is the path to long-lasting development.
We have immense capacity to navigate this transformation. After all, we are living at the pinnacle of human history. Let’s embrace it.
The concrete guide to action: What can companies do?
The first step toward improving sustainability is to map out your impacts. Understand what you affect and how, in order to establish a set of metrics to track progress. Generally, transitioning from a linear business model to a circular or regenerative one is the most important strategic improvement any company can make.
Start by evaluating the environmental handprint of your business. This assessment should cover:
- Enablers of your business: Upstream footprint, including suppliers and your own operations
- Negative impacts of your core business: Downstream footprint, including the entire lifecycle
- Positive impact of your core business: Value created
Next, break this down into individual environmental metrics that can be measured:
- Energy, water, and land use
- Amount of pollution generated in soil, water, air, or living organisms – categorized by type of pollutant
- Amount of waste produced – categorized as organic/biobased or non-organic
- Resource use, including the impact of their acquisition (supply chain) on energy, land and water use, biodiversity, and pollution
To help you get started with circular business models that effectively manage environmental metrics, consider the 9 R strategy framework:
Jaakko Mattila
MBA (Information System Sciences)
Jaakko is a sustainability pioneer with a background in information systems. Jaakko took on the responsibility for CSRD reporting at Elomatic last fall after previously working in digital business development. Jaakko’s goal is to promote strong sustainability by aligning companies with planetary boundaries.
jaakko.mattila@elomatic.com
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