Sustainability: the concept and the three-pillar model

In short: Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. The three-pillar model describes environment, economy and society as equally important areas.

In more detail: Today the term is used very often in politics, business and everyday life. That is exactly why it is worth looking at where it comes from and how differently it can be interpreted.

In detail

• Origin in forestry: In 1713, in a book on forestry, Hans Carl von Carlowitz called for felling only as much wood as can grow back.
• The Brundtland Report: The definition widely used today comes from the 1987 report “Our Common Future” by the UN World Commission on Environment and Development.
• Environmental pillar: Natural foundations of life such as the climate, soils, water and biodiversity are to be preserved.
• Economic pillar: The economy should be viable in the long term and enable prosperity without living off the overexploitation of resources.
• Social pillar: This includes fair working conditions, education, health and a fair distribution of opportunities, within one generation and between generations.
• Criticism of the model: Critics complain that equally weighted pillars tempt people to offset environmental damage against economic benefit.
• Priority model: Other models see nature as the foundation within whose limits society and the economy must operate; the concept of planetary boundaries fits this view.
• The 2030 Agenda: In 2015 the United Nations adopted seventeen Sustainable Development Goals covering poverty, hunger, education, climate action and protection of the oceans, among others.
• In everyday life: Because the term is so popular, it is also used in advertising; specific information and independent labels help to tell genuine sustainability from empty promises (kreislaufwirtschaft-grundlagen, greenwashing-erkennen, nachhaltig-einkaufen-und-konsumieren).