sustainability
Long-term ecological responsibility
Sustainability is the capacity to maintain something over time without depleting resources or causing harm.
The term dominates environmental discourse, where it describes practices that meet present needs without compromising future generations: sustainable agriculture, sustainable energy.
A business model has sustainability if it can continue operating profitably.
The word often appears in corporate language where its meaning may be vague or aspirational rather than concrete.
Preventing waste or loss
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- stewardshipResponsible care of entrusted things
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- ecosystemsInterdependent organism-environment systems
renewable · recycling · composting · carbon-neutral · zero-waste · green · eco-friendly · habitat
State of being answerable
- stewardshipResponsible care of entrusted things
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
- mindfulnessAwareness of the present
simplicity · sufficiency · eco-consciousness · greenwashing · activism · advocacy · commitment · pledges
Capable of restoration
- solarOf the star
- windAir current outdoors
- geothermalRelating to underground heat
- hydropowerElectricity from flowing currents
biomass · efficiency · conservation · scarcity · depletion · extraction · consumption · water
Resistance to wear
- permanenceQuality of lasting indefinitely
- continuityUninterrupted progression or coherence
- enduranceSustained effort capacity
- maintenancePreserving working condition
upkeep · resilience · stability · persistence · longevity · reliability · robustness · adaptability
Intentional economic contraction movement
- ESGCorporate responsibility framework
- divestmentDisposal of assets
- microfinanceSmall loans for poor entrepreneurs
- localismPreference for nearby things
cooperatives · stakeholder · accountability · transparency · certification · supply-chain · lifecycle · cost-benefit
Impartial treatment or ownership value
- justiceFair treatment under law
- inclusionBeing made part
- communityCollective of connected people
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
well-being · livelihoods · access · indigenous · intergenerational · empowerment · participation · grassroots
State of balance
- harmonyAgreement or musical blend
- homeostasisBiological internal stability maintenance
- moderationAvoidance of excess
- proportionalityScaling relationship between quantities
regeneration · limits · thresholds · steady-state · optimization · trade-offs · systemic · holistic
conservation
Preventing waste or loss
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- stewardshipResponsible care of entrusted things
- biodiversityRange of life forms
ecosystems · renewable · recycling · composting · carbon-neutral · zero-waste · green · eco-friendly · habitat · restoration
responsibility
State of being answerable
- stewardshipResponsible care of entrusted things
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
- valuesPrinciples held worthwhile
mindfulness · simplicity · sufficiency · eco-consciousness · greenwashing · activism · advocacy · commitment · pledges · certifications
renewable
Capable of restoration
- solarOf the star
- windAir current outdoors
- geothermalRelating to underground heat
hydropower · biomass · efficiency · conservation · scarcity · depletion · extraction · consumption · water · energy
durability
Resistance to wear
- permanenceQuality of lasting indefinitely
- continuityUninterrupted progression or coherence
- enduranceSustained effort capacity
maintenance · upkeep · resilience · stability · persistence · longevity · reliability · robustness · adaptability · futureproofing
degrowth
Intentional economic contraction movement
- ESGCorporate responsibility framework
- divestmentDisposal of assets
- microfinanceSmall loans for poor entrepreneurs
localism · cooperatives · stakeholder · accountability · transparency · certification · supply-chain · lifecycle · cost-benefit · externalities
equity
Impartial treatment or ownership value
resilience · well-being · livelihoods · access · indigenous · intergenerational · empowerment · participation · grassroots · education
equilibrium
State of balance
- harmonyAgreement or musical blend
- homeostasisBiological internal stability maintenance
- moderationAvoidance of excess
proportionality · regeneration · limits · thresholds · steady-state · optimization · trade-offs · systemic · holistic · interconnection
- 2020s trendssocial media, influencers, streaming, TikTok, Instagram
- social causesfeminism, charity, environmentalism, volunteering, pacifism
- ecologyhabitat, ecosystem, balance, niche, food webs
- Environmental Topicsconservation, biodiversity, extinction, climate change, habitat loss
- environmentalismecology, conservationism, recycling bins, campaigner, environmentalism
- burnout preventionstress management, work-life balance, self-care, boundaries, limits
sustainabilityunsustainability
Inability to continue indefinitely
collapse · depletion · exhaustion · degradation · decline
sustainabilityexploitation
Selfish use of others
unsustainability · overconsumption · depletion · overexploitation · exhaustion
sustainabilityshort-termism
Focus on immediate results
immediacy · planned obsolescence · disposability · throwaway culture · myopia
- environmental sustainabilityMaintaining natural systems indefinitely
- corporate sustainabilityCompany's ethical environmental commitment
- energy sustainabilityMaintaining power sources indefinitely
- food sustainabilityMaintaining viable nutrition systems
- economic sustainabilityLong-term financial viability
- ecological sustainabilityMaintaining ecosystems without depletion