The Four Pillars of Sustainability
Around the world we are seeing more efforts taken toward being more sustainable and environmentally conscious. The actions are often aligned with new local legislation, company policies, and even industry trends. It’s great to see so many businesses finding new ways to make their work more ethical and sustainable, but how do we measure sustainability? What key points should we consider when looking for a sustainable business to work with?
Sustainability is broken into four distinct areas, known as the four pillars of sustainability: Human, Social, Economic, and Environmental Sustainability.
Let’s take a look into what these pillars cover.
Human Sustainability
Human sustainability, as the name suggests, is focused on people. Anyone directly or indirectly involved are impacted in some way by the production of goods and provision of services. In this section, responsibility, capacity, and the development of skills are highlighted. These help support the operations and the sustainability positioning of the business, which in turn promotes the wellbeing of communities and society.
Social Sustainability
Social Sustainability has a goal of creating and proving social systems that make up the framework of the societies we live in. Here, we look at the bigger picture, using a global perspective to consider communities and cultures. Social Sustainability works to protect the future generations by reminding us of the impact of our actions if we aren’t considerate.
Economic Sustainability
Economic Sustainability refers to practices that support long-term economic growth, without impeding on the other sustainability pillars. This section is focused on efficient use and pragmatic management of resources.
Environmental Sustainability
Environmental Sustainability is what jumps to mind when the word ‘Sustainability’ is used. It is concerned with all natural environments and eco systems as these have crucial connections to us that we rely on. Its over-arching goal is to ensure the needs of the population are sustained without risking those of the future generations.
So, what should you do?
Firstly, its important to understand that sustainability is not a box to tick. It is a large ongoing journey towards a goal that takes time, money, and whole lot of effort to integrate. You should consider a business’s sustainability through the focus of each of these pillars. Human, Social, Economic, and Environmental are all aspects that must be included in order to be successfully sustainable.
Businesses with clear and effective goals should be devising action plans specific to each sustainability pillar. Strategic decisions can then be made to better incorporate the right strategy into their policies and procedures.
Arrow Uniforms have been doing their bit by working only with suppliers who are certified by world recognised organisations for ethical compliance and social responsibility. We have been re-developing supply chain and operation systems to achieve increased efficiencies and exclude waste. We believe in transparency, and you can talk to us about so you can better understand where your uniforms are manufactured, how they are made, and what they are made from. We are here to help and strive to provide you with the best sustainable service and outcomes we can.
Call us free on 050 UNIFORM, 0508 643 676 to discuss how we can help you.
FAQs
The term sustainability is used to broadly indicate initiatives and actions aimed at the preservation of a particular resources. However, it refers to four distinct areas: human, social, economic and environmental – known as the four pillars of sustainability.
What are the 4ps of sustainability? ›
The 4P's: Purpose, Profit, People and Planet – Beyond Governance.
What are the 4 C's of sustainability? ›
The 4Cs of Sustainability – Consumption, Conservation, Community, and Cooperation – are the cornerstones of responsible and eco-friendly living.
What are the four things for sustainability? ›
Sustainability is a very broad term that some feel, is massively overused, and sometimes in the wrong way. We're going to break it down into 4 clear and understandable aspects; human, social, economic and environmental.
What are the 4 factors of sustainability? ›
The term sustainability is broadly used to indicate programs, initiatives and actions aimed at the preservation of a particular resource. However, it actually refers to four distinct areas: human, social, economic and environmental – known as the four pillars of sustainability.
What are the 4 S's of sustainability? ›
The 4S principle—Speed, Scale, Sustainability, and Standards—provides a solid foundation for addressing climate change on a systemic level.
What are the P's of sustainability? ›
Today, we want to take a deeper dive into the concept of the 3 P's of Sustainability: People, Planet, and Profit.
What is the 4Ps strategy? ›
(Marketing mix explained) The four Ps are product, price, place, and promotion. They are an example of a “marketing mix,” or the combined tools and methodologies used by marketers to achieve their marketing objectives.
What are the 4 rules of sustainability? ›
The four principles of sustainability - social, environmental, economic, and cultural sustainability - can be applied to our everyday lives in a variety of ways.
What are the 4 R's of sustainability? ›
We have long made it a priority to develop manufacturing methods and vehicles that have less impact on the environment. This 360-degree approach is based on what is popularly known as the four R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Recover.
Do you know what they are? Communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity are considered the four c's and are all skills that are needed in order to succeed in today's world.
What are the 4 pillars of sustainability human? ›
Human, Social, Economic, and Environmental are all aspects that must be included in order to be successfully sustainable.
What are the 4 sides of sustainable development? ›
There are four dimensions to sustainable development – society, environment, culture and economy – which are intertwined, not separate. Sustainability is a paradigm for thinking about the future in which environmental, societal and economic considerations are balanced in the pursuit of an improved quality of life.
What are the 3 pillars of sustainability and define each? ›
Environment, society and the economy are three intertwined pillars of sustainability. The environmental factor focuses on sustainable business processes, the societal factor on stakeholder and employee relations and the economic factor on the business's bottom line.
What are the four principle areas of sustainability? ›
Applying the principles of sustainability to everyday life
The four principles of sustainability - social, environmental, economic, and cultural sustainability - can be applied to our everyday lives in a variety of ways.
What are the 4 pillars of society? ›
In the intricate machinery of society, various roles intertwine to create the fabric of our communities and civilizations. Among these roles, four personas stand out for their distinct contributions and impact: the Thinker, the Creator, the Doer, and the Decider.
What is the 5th pillar of sustainability? ›
The five pillars of sustainability : economic, social, environmental, cultural and security aspects | Semantic Scholar.
