Etymologically correct

ED’s Note

“What’s your definition of sustainability?” That’s a question I was frequently asked in the last few months as I met up with business leaders across multiple industries. Yes, the marathon discussions with experts rendered the definition stronger, as we unfailingly covered more ground with each passing lap, but admittedly, it almost felt like estimating the expanse of the Indian Ocean while sailing out in a small yacht. No matter where we sailed to, the question on definition of sustainability invariably cropped up.

The frequency with which the question occurred finally did make me see the underlying message: there were too many definitions of sustainability, and yet, there was much ambiguity on what could universally be conveyed by the term ‘sustainability.’

The trouble lay not in the many facets of sustainability, but in the per-spectives. Quite like the blind men who went on to describe the elephant, various industries too seemed to be grappling with their own perspectives of sustainability. For an oil & gas major for instance, the existing business processes posed a sustainability challenge, while for an IT company that appeared to a business opportunity instead. The scope of sustainability too varied from sector to sector and often from person to person.

To a magazine that is mandated to sail the length and breadth of the subject, however, this multi-perspective-induced ambiguity needed to be cleared at the outset. And so, I began looking for the constituents of ‘sus-tainability.’ The word’s etymology traced back to the Latin word sustinere (tenere, to maintain; sus, up).

Corporate sustainability could consequently be defined as a way to con-duct business that maintains equilibrium. Let this be a working definition of sustainability. As subsequent issues roll out, I’m sure collective wisdom would make the understanding on the subject evolve (and so will the defi-nition, from a working one to a full-blown version).

Meanwhile, considering how inter-linked our business processes are with the economy and ecology, finding and maintaining this equilibrium is certainly not an easy task. Companies that seek to operate sustainably need to ensure that their operations are attuned towards better financial performance, have positive impact on the environment at large, and a bet-ter standard of living for their employees and the communities among which they operate. A firm that is able to achieve a stasis among these may be seen as treading the sustainable path. As India’s first magazine on corpo-rate sustainability, we would be recognizing those efforts.

At Sustainuance, as we undertake to create a platform for the business community to propose and discuss various hues and tones of sustainabil-ity, we would also aim to identify steps that would lead India Inc. onto roads that are greener than those traversed before. I invite you to join this endeavour to discover and embrace sustainability!

The trouble lies not in the many facets

of sustainability, but in the

perspectives.

External links on sustainability

http://blogs.hbr.org/leadinggreen/2008/06/we-need-a-definition-of-sustai.htmlhttp://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/01/05/defining-sustainabilityhttp://www.iisd.org/sd/

Shashwat DC Editor -in-Chief

August 2012 Sustainuance 3