Sustainability: Business Benefits

At least seven key factors have been identified which can strengthen a business or organisation, depending upon whether it is a ‘for profit' or ‘not-for-profit' company, through the adoption of sustainability principles as a core value. Some of the benefits can include:

  Sustainable

Something which can endure over a long period of time. See Sustainability.

  Sustainable Community

A community that is planned or modified to maintain sustainable living.

  Sustainable Development

This is defined in the 1987 Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future (often referred to as the Brundtland report after its chairwoman) as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

  Sustainable Development Framework Guiding Principles

In 2005 ‘The UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy’ was published. Five core guiding principles were identified that would from the basis for policy decisions: The 5 principles were: • Living within environmental limits: Respecting the planet’s limits. • Ensuring a strong, healthy and just society: Promoting equality and cohesiveness. • Achieving a sustainable economy: Providing opportunities for all. • Promoting good governance: Encouraging active engagement. • Using sound science responsibly: Combined evidence and precautionary approach. The consultation process for the fram

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  Sustainable Development Principles and Frameworks

A framework which provides a number of principles which can offer guidance on how an organisation might engage and promote sustainability to meet their needs. A number of frameworks and principles might be considered for investigating to help develop principles which reflect the aims of a sports pitch, facility, organisation or industry, including: • Bellagio Principles, • Hannover Principles, • Herman Daly's rules, • The Natural Step, • UN Sustainable Development Goals, • Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

  Sustainable Management

The holistic management of a service, product, facility or other entity with the aim of achieving a sustainable outcome.

  Sustainable Management Guidelines

A useful starting point for engaging with managing a surface for sustainability is to produce some general guidelines for discussion and exploration within an organization. The following ten guidelines for consideration will act as a useful starting point.

  Sustainable Pesticides

A term that has been used by the pesticide industry in recent years to project a positive and softer image of pesticides. Used responsibly and appropriately some pesticides can offer short-term solutions to some problems. However, introducing man-made substances into the environment is not a principle of sustainability, and is the opposite to what should be occurring, i.e. the removal and explicit non-introduction of man-made substances. This term might be considered an oxymoron and can be argued to be an attempt to ‘greenwash' the use of pesticides.

  Sustainable Turf Management

The management of an area of turf in the quest to achieve sustainability. A conceptual model for the sustainable management of an outdoor amenity service, with ICTs being a major focus of data management to support and improve management decisions in this example, is shown in the figure below.