Method and approach
Sustainable development and sustainability are almost synonymous terms, and in
this sense is an orientation towards long-term development the aim of every
company and every society. However, in the modern economy short-term success is
still often valued more than long-term objectives. The best-known definition of
sustainable development was provided in 1987 by the Norwegian prime minister Gro
Harlem Brundtland in a UN commission report forming the basis for the
international conference in Rio on the subject of sustainability:
“Sustainable development is
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs.” (Brundtland Report, 1987)
Concept of sustainable development
The objective of long-term market survival
pursued by every company demands economic success, minimum environmental
impacts, and benefits in the social sphere, be this with respect to the working
class or the society itself, the latter being in the form of the national
economy the basis of all economic activity. This view makes allowance for the
change in perspective from the share holder value to the stake holder value by
taking into account different aspiration groups and their varying needs and
requirements. Fairness against all stake holders as practical ethics is the
basis for a sustainable development.
In practice the three dimensions of sustainable
development are said to be economic, environmental and social, an approach
adopted by the S-E-E.ch®- analysis.
Systems of indicators are used to quantify the
extent of sustainable development. The indicators are variables describing the
effects of the system under consideration with respect to the three dimensions.
To avoid re-inventing the wheel and in order to make use of existing experience,
reference was made to existing systems of evaluation as far as possible.
Accounting systems and the financial indicators being derived from them were
used to measure the wealth of companies. When it comes to the evaluation of the
environmental impacts of products, the life cycle analysis, which exhibits a
clearly structured approach and a high level of acceptance thanks to the ISO
14040 series of standards, is the most suitable tool.
The complex interrelationships were identified
and analysed using a new method known as S-E-E.ch® analysis, which in
terms of the approach is based on the ISO 14040 series of standards.
In different projects the
adopted approach and the assumptions being made were reviewed by an advisory
board.
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