Performing against the triple bottom line
The Goal of Sustainable Development in Economy
"Sustainable development involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity. Companies aiming for sustainability need to perform not against a single, financial bottom line but against the triple bottom line."
This is a statement of the World Business Council on Sustainable Development which shows that Sustainability has taken roots in the thinking of big modern companies. Especially in Europe and Asia leaders of the business community clearly understand that it is necessary to take a long-term view of the development of their own companies as well as the society and the environment.
Short-term gains which are reached via the destruction of the social fabric and the physical environment cannot guarantee the growth of the economy of a country or of a single company over decades or even centuries.
Just the opposite is needed: By developing and providing sustainable technologies the key players in the economy can provide the basic instruments for a sustainable development which also brings benefits to their own companies.
Sustainability in the economy has also influenced the way Human Resource Management is seen within companies and within the economy in general. People have been recognized as the most valuable “resource” of a company, their knowledge and experience representing the foundation of any long-term strategy. Sustainability therefore also means a high level of education and training on as well as off the job
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