Factors of unsustainability: Identification, links and hierarchy

Although numerous, definitions of sustainable development remain vague or incomplete, living in an unsustainable world, it is more convenient to observe factors of unsustainability (FOUs) than to extrapolate to the conditions of sustainability. Furthermore, it would be more convenient to have a categorization of FOUs in order to correct them in a more direct way. To achieve this, the dynamics of FOUs have been studied within the scope of the business decision-making process, which can easily be extrapolated to other contexts. This analysis provides some recommendations with which to eliminate FOUs. The key points are cultural change by education, communication, continuous dialogue, learning and adaptation by the whole of society. Eliminating unsustainability does not always mean becoming sustainable.