Sustainable Business - Six Essential Characteristics

Six Essential Characteristics

Matthew Tueth, Ph.D. reiterates the ideas put forward by authors such as Paul Hawken (The Ecology of Commerce and Natural Capitalism), Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart (Cradle to Cradle), and Janine Benyus (Biomimicry) when he proposes that a mature and authentic sustainable business contains six essential characteristics.

1. Triple top-line value production

"The TTL Establishes three simultaneous requirements of sustainable business activities - financial benefits for the company, natural world betterment, and social advantages for employees and members of the local community—with each of these three components recognized as equal in status." Whereas many businesses use the triple bottom line, "triple top line" stresses the importance of initial design and is a term attributable to McDonough and Braungart in their book Cradle to Cradle.

2. Nature-based knowledge and technology

"This biomimicry-based principal involves the conscious emulation of natural-world genius in terms of growing our food, harnessing our energy, constructing things, conducting business healing ourselves, processing information and designing our communities"

3. Products of service to products of consumption

"Products of service are durable goods routinely leased by the customer that are made of technical materials and are returned to the manufacturer and re-processed into a new generation of products when they are worn out.(These products are mostly non-toxic to human and environmental health but toxic materials that are used will be kept within a closed loop type system and not be able to escape into the environment). Products of consumption are shorter lived items made only of biodegradable materials. They are broken down by the detritus organisms after the products lose their usefulness.(These are also non-hazardous to human or environmental health). This principal requires that we manufacture only these two types of products and necessitates the gradual but continual reductions of products of service and their replacement with products of consumption as technological advancements allow." See Cradle to Cradle for other thoughts on Technical(Products of Service) and Biological(Products of consumption) nutrients.

4. Solar, wind, geothermal and ocean energy.

"This principal advocates employing only sustainable energy technology—solar,wind,ocean and geothermal—that can meet our energy needs indefinitely without negative effects for life on earth." Other authors, such as Paul Hawken, have referred to this as utilizing current solar income.

5. Local-based organizations and economies

"This ingredient includes durable, beautiful and healthy communities with locally owned and operated businesses and locally managed non-profit organizations, along with regional corporations and shareholders working together in a dense web of partnerships and collaborations."

6. Continuous improvement process

"Operational processes inside successful organizations include provisions for constant advancements and upgrade as the company does its business. The continuous process of monitoring, analyzing, redesigning and implementing is used to intensify TTL value production as conditions change and new opportunities emerge."