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sustainability

suh-STAY-nuh-BIL-ih-tee /səˌsteɪnəˈbɪlɪti/

nounB2IELTSTOEFLSAT

businessenvironmental

The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level, particularly in terms of avoiding the depletion of natural resources.

In business, 'sustainability' often refers to the 'Triple Bottom Line': being viable economically, socially, and environmentally.

The story behind the word. Derived from the Latin 'sustinere', meaning 'to hold up' or 'to support from below.' It originally referred to physical support, like a pillar holding up a roof, before evolving into the concept of ecological and economic endurance.

Word relationships

viability: The ability to work successfully or survive, often used in a financial sense.
renewability: The quality of being capable of being replaced by natural ecological cycles.

depletion: Reduction in the number or quantity of something.
unsustainability: The quality of not being able to be maintained at the current rate.

Commonly confused with

conservation: Conservation is about protecting what we have; sustainability is about using resources in a way that they last forever.

Word family

sustainable (adjective): Able to be maintained at a certain rate or level.
sustainably (adverb): In a way that can be maintained over time.

Collocations

environmental sustainability
sustainability goals
long-term sustainability
sustainability report

Example sentences

"Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good." A former CEO of PUMA discusses the shift in corporate environmental goals. (Jochen Zeitz)
"The company's sustainability report highlighted their transition to 100% renewable energy." The city implemented a new waste management program to improve its long-term viability.

Memory hook

Think of 'Sustain-Ability.' The 'ability' to 'sustain' (keep going) without running out of fuel or resources. Keeping the world going.

When not to use

Avoid using it to mean 'durability' (how long a product lasts); use 'sustainability' for the system's ability to continue.

Fun facts

The most famous definition of sustainable development comes from the 1987 Brundtland Report: 'meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.'