Students often come to the topic of sustainability through discussions of politics, morals or ethics, and this can present teaching challenges. People can legitimately argue about politics, morals, ethics and religion. But when was the last time you heard anyone argue about gravity or the basic laws or thermodynamics? When have we heard anyone claim that he didn’t believe in photosynthesis? Fortunately sustainability, both what it is and why it matters, all boils down to fundamental science. The Natural Step Framework (TNSF) provides a working definition of sustainability that is science-based. Then it builds from that understanding to create a strategic framework that any organization can use to become more ecologically, socially and economically sustainable. TNSF defines a sustainable society, business, or other organization as one that meets the following system conditions:
1. It causes no systematic increase in environmental concentrations of substances from the Earth’s crust (such as heavy metals or fossil carbon).
2. It causes no systematic increase in environmental concentrations of synthetic substances (such as plastics or chemical pesticides).
3. It causes no systematic increase in ecosystem degradation (such as deforestation or fisheries depletion).
4. It creates no systematic barriers to people’s ability to meet their own needs.
No business or organization is fully sustainable; however, the four system conditions help provide a vision of a sustainable future. TNSF shows us how to use that vision in a form of end-result thinking and planning called “backcasting,” which already has helped companies like Nike, Ikea and Electrolux to make real progress toward sustainability while also remaining ultracompetitive in their respective industries.
