What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to clarify the concept of sustainability by categorizing existing definitions according to different contexts and scales.

April 1, 2007

Defining sustainability: a conceptual orientation

Key Points

The aim is to clarify the concept of sustainability by categorizing existing definitions according to different contexts and scales.
Presented archetypes of sustainability for classification and understanding.
Contrasted economic growth with 'thick' and 'thin' versions of sustainability.
Explored definitions focusing on nature's ontology, resource substitutability, and social equity.
Identified varying definitions that highlight different aspects of sustainability.
Demonstrated the need for context-specific definitions in addressing sustainability.
Outlined the implications of orientation toward economic growth and social equity in sustainability definitions.

Abstract

Abstract Despite the ubiquity of the concept of sustainability, defining the term and construing meaning for different contexts is difficult. This paper presents several archetypes of sustainability that are useful for classifying and understanding existing definitions. Definitions that emphasize one part or another of the core concept of sustainability will be necessary at varying scales and in different contexts. This paper presents a conceptual guide that contrasts a dominant paradigm of economic growth and development with ‘thick’ and ‘thin’ versions of sustainability. Definitions of sustainability are explored in terms of their orientation to the ontology of nature, substitutability of resources, economic growth, population growth, role of technology, and social equity. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry

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Defining sustainability: a conceptual orientation

Key Points

Abstract

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