Sustainability is broadly defined as meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs Sustainability is about living in a way that meets the needs and goals of people today, without affecting the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Sustainable ties in with ‘sound’ business practices such as: • building efficiency • minimising waste • maximising resources
Customers and investors are increasingly looking beyond the balance sheet before making a choice about where to place their business. Creating cleaner business practices can strengthen and build your brand, giving you a stronger identity and a reputation that you can be proud of and promote to customers. This may help to build your market share and even open up new markets. Enhance the organisation's corporate image through: •Increasingly choosing suppliers with environmental, social and cultural values and practices that match their own. •Consumers are actively selecting and paying more for products that they believe are less harmful to the environment. •Government is also applying environmental criteria when selecting a supplier.