Sustainable Development

The expression sustainable development appears from the first time in 1972, in a document from the UNPD, the FAO and the Unesco (Thuillier, 2005). In 1980, the IUCN defines it as: "...a development taking into accounts the environment, the economy and the society" (Gendron and al, 2005:6). The IUCN is one of the two most widely known definitions (Gendron, 2005). It must be understood as a development where the economy is a mean, the environment a condition and the society finality (translated from Gendron and al., 2005:10).

The second most known definition comes by the UN Commission on Environment and Development, also called the Brundtland Commission. Following the report published in 1987, the concept of sustainable development has been promoted all over the world. The definition is: "Sustainable Development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

The Sustainable Development Diagram

Source: Plan de développement durable du Québec, MDEPP, 2005, p. 10.

In the introduction to the report, Gro Harlem Brundtland, president of the UN Commission and then Norway’s Prime Minister, explains that it would be incorrect to limit sustainable development to the environment. On the contrary, the Brundtland Commission insists on issues such as the importance of demilitarization and the elimination of poverty (Vaillancourt, 1995)

Following the publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, the concept of sustainable development has been widely diffused, whether by public authorities at all levels or enterprises, more specifically since the 1992 UN Rio Summit.

Municipalities and Regions are sustainable development entrepreneurs

In order for those authorities to turn sustainable development into action, the concept of Local Agenda 21 (LA21) has been developed by men and women representing 178 countries, many enterprises and civil society organizations at the time of UN Rio Summit. Since then, a great number of regional and local administrations have integrated principles of sustainability into their daily management and development. The A21L makes it possible for them to carry out concrete actions within the realm of sustainable development, according to a philosophy where one must think globally and act locally.

Private businesses are Corporate Citizens

In 1970, Milton Friedman, economist, said that the "The Social Responsibility of Business is to increase its profits". More and more, both business people and researchers disagree with Friedman's statement. According to one of them: "A corporation is not derived by from individual but from social premises; it operates only with society’s permission» (Barry, 2000; 102). That question is at the heart of sustainable development: some think that sustainable development is an oxymoron, since eternal growth cannot be done on a finite planet while many members of the business community believe that sustainable development can be achieved, whether with technology or changes in consumption and production habits.

Many environmentalists believe that the business notion of sustainable development is a corporate "excuse" to produce always even more without internalizing the costs.

Whether one agrees with the businesses or the environmentalists, two things must be said:

1.	Industrial ecology is a third option, where use of waste, recycling, modifications and adequate legislation can profit businesses more than extraction from Nature.
2.	Avoiding to pollute should always have been a business responsibility. So the actual changes will just be considered as normal by the next generations.

Maybe even more important is the fact that refusing the concept of sustainable development gives arguments for those who support a more traditional economy, where nature and society are not considered as important as profit.

While the concept of selfishness and infinite profit is being more and more challenged, there are real opportunities in building more sustainable communities, where both public and private concerns are addressed, both in Europe, in North America and in the rest of the World.

Governance as understood by the public sector and members of the civil society, including citizens:

"Governance" recognizes that all forms of society operate in a rules-based structure, but that these rules can also be created by means quite different from those employed by government: private covenant, customary practice and even unwritten conventions of social behaviour all contribute to governance. Thus "government" is a special instance of "governance." (von Moltke, 2001:10)

Governance as understood by the private sector:

For businesses, it is different. The concept of governance refers to...“The rules and practices that govern the relationship between the managers and shareholders of corporations, as well as stakeholders like employees and creditors” (OCDE, 2004;1). While regional and local authorities will produce Local Agenda 21 action plans, where citizens are included, businesses will have dialogues with members of civil society but not on an idea of governance, but more to act as a corporate citizen.

Enterprises publish Corporate Citizen’s Reports or Corporate Sociability Reports or Sustainable Development Reports. Being voluntary reports, the reports are sometimes seen as marketing tools rather than real portraits of the enterprise since many companies that are very polluting or threats to human rights have outstanding reports. There are many very serious international organizations that are trying to resolve these issues – such as the Global Report Initiative or the Dow Jones Sustainability Index but their impact may vary according to the issues, the criteria analyzed in studying these reports or the reports themselves.

Bebop et Cie is presently working on ways to present sustainable corporate actions in ways that are original, simple and effective, while being available for large and small companies, including non-profit organizations and micro-enterprises.

Sustainable Development and Environmental Management are two different things.

Sustainable Development is often confused with environmental management/eco-efficiency management. Environmental management is often an essential first step towards sustainable development since reducing our production and consumption modes is part of the equation. It is a perfect way for businesses, governments or individuals to get become more responsible. While these initiatives are usually good for the environment, they do not constitute a change of paradigms and can even be harmful to sustainable practices.even be harmful to sustainable practices (if local population’s welfare is not taken into account, for example). The results will also be mostly done at the quantitative level instead of including also organizational and social changes which are very important to achieve sustainable development.

Environmental management must be intertwined with social and economy issues. In order to do so, innovative practices and specific expertise might be necessary. While there are many expertise and support available for environmental management, it is less obvious for sustainable development. Support must be adapted to each reality, in a vision where sustainable development aims at focusing on men and women, their environment and the way they can grow. This way, we can work together, so that the world we leave to our children will be better than the one we are now.

Many steps can be taken in order to achieve sustainable development but some examples such as the one describing a local organic market can be very useful to see the difference between environmental management and sustainable development.

Services available at Bebop et cie (both English and French):

Interesting examples of Corporate Citizen and Sustainability Reports

Brochure:
www.volvocars.com/intl/Documents/CorpCitizenship/pdf/cc_2004_en.pdf

Website:
www.scandic-campaign.com/betterworld/index.asp?languageid=en

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