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INTRODUCTIONThe TNS Framework is a methodology for success-ful organizational planning, developed by The Nat-ural Step. It enables organizations to create optimalstrategies for dealing with the present-day situation,by incorporating a perspective of a sustainablefuture. Today’s perception of what can be achievednever determines the direction of change, solely itspace. This results in investments and activities thatnot only move the organization toward sustainabil-ity, but also maximize short-term profitability andlong-term flexibility. The TNS Framework hashelped many organizations around the worldproactively embrace sustainability as a strategicopportunity rather than an unknown liability.
THE NATURAL STEP
The Natural Step is an international organizationthat helps organizations move strategically towardsustainability.
The Natural Step's approach is:
o to continuously develop the TNS Framework, and the tools related to it, in association with clients and scientists.
o to support the implementation and use ofthe TNS Framework in companies and other organizations, through training and asconsultant advisors.
o to provide a forum for dialogue, particularlyfor decision-makers capable of influencing ideas and becoming global role models in the field of sustainable development.
THE FUNNELIn the quest for good health, welfare and economicprosperity, we are systematically destroying the sys-tem that we, as humans, are completely dependentupon - nature. Life-sustaining natural resources,such as clean air and clean water, are subject toincreasing deterioration due to human activity.Forests are being lost and species extinction is gath-ering pace. At the same time, nature’s long-termproductive capacity is being degraded in fields,
forests and oceans. As a result, we have to inputmore resources to harvest or catch as much as wedid last year. For example, to obtain the sameamounts of food, wood and other raw materials, weneed bigger fishing boats, more energy, more pesti-cides and more fertilisers.
Fig. 1 A Global Perspective
The reason for nature’s reduced productive poten-tial is that we are polluting and displacing nature invarious ways. Renewable resources are being usedup at such a rate that nature does not have time tobuild new ones. At the same time, there are moreand more people on earth in need of theseresources, and the gap between rich and poor iswidening. It’s as if all of civilization is moving intoa funnel whose narrowing walls demonstrate thatthere is less and less ‘room for maneuver’.
Fig. 2 The Funnel
Everyone is in this funnel, from the smallest familyto the largest multi-national corporation, and it hasa direct bearing not only upon us as a society, butalso upon the economy. Increasingly, organizationsare noticing that changes in demand, rising rawmaterials and waste handling costs, punitive taxa-tion, more rigorous demands from lenders, andother factors in the market are already starting toaffect their daily operations.
While sudden economic setbacks may be viewed as‘bad luck’, we know that the room for maneuver ofany activity is constantly diminishing. The ‘badluck’ is usually caused by earlier investments intechniques or activities contributing to ecologicalnon-sustainability or undermining human needs.The self-benefit of being able to avoid many ofthese setbacks in the future is obvious, an effectivestrategy is fundamental if we are to avoid ‘bad luck’and create opportunities.
STRATEGIC PLANNING IN TODAY’S NON-SUSTAINABLESOCIETYThe TNS Framework enables an organization tointegrate business development with sustainablity.This strategic approach of systematically moving anorganization toward sustainability can easily be jus-tified on the grounds of improved competitivenessalone. By expanding their room for maneuver,organizations are improving their prospects for thefuture. The self-benefit stems from harnessinginevitable changes in:
o raw materials costso energy costso costs of wasteo environmental legislationo differentiated taxationo insurance premiumso credit ratingso customer needso employee needso brand value drivers
With the help of the TNS Framework, many orga-nizations have reduced costs, improved quality andproductivity, identified new customers and mar-kets, and have avoided future liabilities.
Although long-term financial results will improve
as an organization evolves in a sustainable direc-tion, the risk of being too far ahead of the marketneeds to be considered. However, that risk must bebalanced with the greater risk of being too late toevolve. The key is to be on the "leading edge", andusing the TNS Framework has helped many organi-zations do just that.
STRATEGIC PLANNING NEEDS A FUTURE PERSPECTIVEThe TNS Framework is based upon a methodknown as backcasting – looking at the current situ-ation from a future perspective. Initially, you envis-age a successful result in this future scenario; then,you ask: What can we do today to reach that result?This allows you to make sure that your actions andstrategy are taking you in the direction that youwish to head, that they align with your vision. Thismay seem simple and obvious, but many people donot do it, and without backcasting you can notstrategically pursue a future vision.
A prerequisite for backcasting is obviously to knowwhat constitutes the future scenario you are head-ing for. In terms of planning from a sustainablefuture scenario, this approach would appear flawed,as we can not accurately predict and agree upon thefuture precisely. However, despite not being able tooutline a sustainable future scenario in detail, wecan agree upon basic conditions that must apply inany sustainable society. These basic principles, orconditions, can serve as a lighthouse to guide us,enabling us to backcast with confidence from afuture sustainability perspective. These conditions,known as the system conditions have been devel-oped and agreed upon by an international networkof scientists. By using backcasting, in line with thesystem conditions, targets and measures can bechosen that combine long-term flexibility withshort-term profitability.
This approach means that the strategy focuses onthe causes of environmental and social problemsrather than reacting to the effects of them. Invest-ments and measures are selected to tackle today’sproblems without creating further problems in thefuture. Strategies and measures taken will obviouslyvary between organizations, but the over-all direc-tion will be the same - toward alignment with thesystem conditions. It is also important to remember
that today’s perception of what can be achieved willonly affect the speed of change, not it’s overalldirection.
The TNS Framework makes it easier to categorizeproblems and possible solutions so that relevantquestions can be asked and informed judgmentscan be made. Once all team members are using theTNS Framework, a process is set in motion. Every-one starts using the same language, comparingexperiences, and therefore learning from oneanother – a prerequisite for effective teamwork.
How then does an organization start to strategicallyplan for success and combine long term flexibilitywith short term profitability? By applying the TNSframework.
THE TNS FRAMEWORK A. FINDING COMMON GROUNDHow do you find common ground in your sustain-ability planning? Discuss the TNS Frameworkamong all participants and align behind the sus-tainability objectives. These work as a lighthousefor your organization, outlining the criteria for anysustainable organization.
B. WHAT DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION LOOK LIKE TODAY? Analyze current operations with the help of a sus-tainability review. Map out and list flows of rawmaterials and energy that are critical with referenceto every sustainability objective.
C. WHAT DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION LOOK LIKE IN A SUS-TAINABLE SOCIETY?Imagine what your operations will look like in asustainable society based upon the sustainabilityobjectives. Create a mission statement and list allmeasures, whether or not they are realistic in theshort-term.
D. PRIORITIZE AND MANAGEWhich targets and measures should you prioritize?Which of them will be the most effective from abusiness point of view? Prioritize measures from Cthat move the organization toward sustainabilityfastest while optimizing long-term flexibility andshort-term profitability.
Fig. 3 The TNS Framework
A. FINDING COMMON GROUNDTACKLING COMPLEXITY WITH SYSTEMS THINKINGTwenty or thirty years ago, environmental ques-tions seemed simpler than they do today. Theycould be summed up in single images: a factory,chimneys spewing out smoke, a poisoned lake inthe neighborhood, dead fish floating in the water.Remedies were put in place: filters were placed onthe chimneys and water treatment plants built. Theproblems were apparently solved.
Today, most people are aware that these social andenvironmental problems were not solved, and thatmany may be getting worse, as well as increasinglycomplex. Because many problems are now globalrather than regional, it can also be extremely diffi-cult to find direct instances of cause and effect. Thisis the underlying reason for all the endless debatethat we see and hear every day in the mass mediaand between scientists.
Fig. 4 The Debate Dilemma
In addition to local environmental problems, wealso have global problems such as ozone depletionand the greenhouse effect. Environmental damageis caused by a host of diffuse sources in addition toa small number of ‘hot-spots’. Serious environmen-tal problems cannot simply be blamed on manufac-turers and factories. Sometimes the causes aredirectly linked with the goods and services we con-sume and the transportation that we use. In addi-tion, the effects of environmental damage are veryrarely direct, and are often deferred. Once those fil-ters from the industrial chimneys have beendumped alongside other discarded junk, it takes along time for their pollutants to be released. Thiscomplexity makes it difficult enough to recognizetoday’s environmental problems; it is even moredifficult to predict tomorrow’s environmental prob-lems lying dormant in the system.
To be able to tackle complicated problems, we needan over-arching perspective of the situation thatutilizes a systems approach. Systems thinking cre-ates understanding of the connections in the sys-tem. Everything is connected, and the connectionsexpress certain dynamics. In other words, if wechange one part of the system, another part isaffected.
A system is made up of many different parts, allworking together and all sharing a set of basic prin-ciples. One way of visualizing this idea is to see it asa tree. The basic principles are represented by thetrunk and branches. The leaves symbolize details -value judgments, priorities, design solutions orbehavioral changes all seeking to align with thebasic principles. The leaves and the trunk andbranches are important aspects of a functioningwhole. Without the trunk and branches, the leaveshave nothing to hang on – in other words, thedetailed solutions must align with the basic princi-ples.
When you are driving a car you are a part of a verycomplex system. What you do has direct conse-quences on many other drivers on the road, as wellas the pedestrians and cyclists. In short, you have toprocess an enormous amount of information inorder to drive safely. Nevertheless, most of youdon’t even think about it while driving – why? It is
Fig. 5 System Overview
because there are rules (or basic principles) that-govern how the system operates. It means that youcan navigate your way through the complexity witha certain amount of ease, knowing that if you stickto the rules of the road you will be all right. How-ever, if you ignore the rules (for example if youdrive on the wrong side of the road or run a redlight) then you are likely to have an accident.
Rather than restricting you, these rules actuallyallow you to be innovative. As an individual, youcan drive wherever you please, in whatever vehicleyou like, and even develop your own unique dri-ving style, as long as you stay within the basic prin-ciples.
If you think that it is easier not to take a systemsapproach, and you don’t need basic principles, justimagine driving through your nearest city in rushhour, except that anything goes and there are norules at all. How far do you think you would getbefore crashing?
The system within which we operate is far morecomplex than a traffic system, and we don’t get todefine the basic principles. They are set for us bythe Laws of Physics. The system, of course, is theglobal one, the Earth. The next section details thebasic conditions for ‘driving’ on the Earth and howthey are derived.
BASIC SCIENCEThe Earth can be regarded as a closed system formatter because gravity does not allow matter toescape. Almost all the atoms that were here when
the Earth was created about 4.6 billion years agoare still here, although many in different forms (e.g.different molecules or types of rock). However,when it comes to energy, the Earth is an open sys-tem. Energy is continuously entering the system inthe form of sunlight. The amount of solar energythat flows in is approximately 10,000 times greaterthan the current global energy use of the entirehuman population. At the same time, energy exitsin the form of heat radiation into the cooling uni-verse. There is a balance between the amounts ofenergy flowing in, and the amounts flowing out.
The principle of matter conservation and the lawsof thermodynamics are important here. All are uni-versal. Which means, in practice, that they apply tothe whole universe.
Fig. 6 The Earth as a System
Matter and energy do not disappear1.Matter and energy can only be transformed. Wherehas the gasoline gone when the tank is empty? Itmay look as if it has disappeared, but, in fact, theatoms have simply been dispersed as gaseous emis-sions.
Matter and energy tend to disperse2.The fact that energy changes into heat radiation isnot too serious a problem. It leaves the earth’satmosphere at the same time as we receive newsolar energy. However, dispersed matter canbecome a problem because gravity retains it in theatmosphere. Examples of this are numerous: rust-ing cars, carpets turning to dust, or spreading pol-lution.
The concentration and structure of matter deter-mine material quality.The quality or value of matter increases as its con-centration rises. For example, a gold ingot is morevaluable than an identical amount of gold dis-persed in nature. In addition to this, if we also addform or structure to the matter, its quality or valuegoes up even more. A gold ring, for instance, com-mands a higher price per gram than the gold ingot.
When we consume something, we consume its con-centration and structure. But if all matter disperses,surely most if it should be converted into waste bynow? Or is new material quality being created outof the waste, and if so, how?
Green cells create a net increase in concentrationand structure of matter using energy from the sun.By photosynthesis, green cells, such as plants, areable to use the solar energy that flows continuouslyinto the earth’s system. Photosynthesis gathers dis-persed matter and assembles it into new, complicat-ed structures – i.e. plants – thus creating a netincrease in material concentration and structure onthe earth. Their uniqueness lies in the fact that theyobtain their energy3 from outside the system. Evennature’s mechanisms couldn’t function sustainablyif the natural cycles were not fuelled by the sun’senergy. If plants needed petroleum to perform theirwork, they too would disperse more matter thanthey could concentrate and structure. In otherwords, we are completely dependent upon photo-synthesis4.
Fig. 7 Basic Science
NATURE AND OUR EFFECT ON ITAll living organisms, including humans, are a partof and completely dependent upon nature. Cells arethe smallest building blocks of life and have a limit-ed capacity to adapt to changing circumstances.They cannot withstand systematic alterations in liv-ing conditions, such as higher and higher concen-trations of pollution or lower levels of nutrients.
Over time, nature has slowly evolved to create thenecessary conditions to support plants and animals.Plants have created concentration and structure onEarth through the process of photosynthesis,enabling the development of ever more sophisticat-ed life forms, in an almost inconceivable array ofcomplexity and diversity. It is indisputable that nei-ther productivity nor biodiversity must systemati-cally diminish if we want a sustainable world: Bio-diversity provides a vast array of direct and indirectresources to us; it is an essential aspect of produc-tivity, the complex web of species in cooperationproviding the very cycles upon which our lifedepends; and it is an important defense strategy fornature in the face of change.
However, nature only has a limited capacity toadapt to sudden change and therefore while it canevolve to deal with change, it cannot do so overnight. Sustainability only really becomes an issuewhen nature is forced to do this, to cope with rapidsystemic change.
Fig. 8 Natural Cycles
To understand and address the impact of humanactions upon nature, we need to move from assess-ing our impacts in nature to finding the root-caus-
es for these effects. Can we summarize the root-causes for ecological non-sustainability? There areessentially only three mechanisms by which humansociety can damage nature. Damage to natureoccurs when:
1. concentrations of substances are continuouslyrising because they are dispersed in nature from theEarth’s crust (mined from outside the system)faster than they are returned (re-deposited into theEarth’s crust).
2. concentrations of substances produced by societyare continuously rising because society dispersesthem faster than they can be broken down andbuilt into new resources by nature (or deposited inthe Earth’s crust).
3. it is continuously degraded by physical means.This occurs either by extracting more than naturecan replenish (for instance, more timber or fishthan can be regenerated) or by other forms ofecosystem manipulation (for instance, altering thewater table, soil erosion, unforeseen accidents withgenetic manipulation or covering fertile land withasphalt).
Fig. 9 Present Society
A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETYBy looking at the three ways we are damagingnature, and then adding the word ‘not’, The NaturalStep has defined the three basic principles for anecologically sustainable society. However, becausewe are talking about sustainability for people andplanet, a basic social principle is also needed to
outline a sustainable society.
Basic human needs are often thought of as subsis-tence needs, such as food, clean water and shelter.Manfred Max-Neef5 outlines nine basic humanneeds, which create a more complete list:
o Subsistence o Protection o Participation o Leisureo Affection o Understanding o Creation o Identity o Freedom.
Given that these needs exist, is it really possible tohave a sustainable society if they are not met?
A sustainable society by implication is one that cancontinue on in perpetuity, one that not only does notundermine the natural system upon which wedepend, but also one that essentially satisfies its con-stituents, that people are happy with. That is not tosay that a sustainable society will not evolve, butrather that it will not have to be completely restruc-tured over a short period of time. If a "sustainable"society needs to change itself dramatically due topressures from within, it is, by implication, unsus-tainable. Societies change most notably when citizensare not content, when their needs are not met (lead-ing to revolutions, wars and conflict). Therefore wecan say that a sustainable society must, at the veryleast, meet the needs of all individuals within thatsociety.
Consider the implications for ecological sustainabili-ty when human needs are not met. People will doanything to meet their basic human need of stayingalive. They will not take a global sustainability per-spective when they have to decide whether or not,for example, to take coal from the ground to provideheat; use plastics to provide shelter; or, cut down for-est to try to cultivate crops for food. If people’s needsare not met, they will not take a global systems per-spective, but rather an immediate and very humanperspective – what do I have to do to survive? In thissituation, it is unlikely that the individual action willbe in alignment with the long-term needs of theoverall system.
Given this, in addition to the principles for an eco-logically sustainable society, it is necessary to add a
fourth principle - that human needs must be metworldwide.
These four basic principles define the prevailingconditions that will apply in any sustainable society.Originally developed by Karl-Henrik Robért andJohn Holmberg, they have been refined in coopera-tion with an international network of renownedscientists. They are referred to as the four systemconditions.
THE FOUR SYSTEM CONDITIONSIn a sustainable society, nature is not subject to sys-tematically increasing:
1. concentrations of substances extracted fromthe earth's crust,
2. concentrations of substances produced by society;
3. degradation by physical means;
and, in that society. . .
4 human needs are met worldwide.
In the illustration below, the four system conditionsare shown in relation to the natural cycles andhuman society, as an integrated system where flowsare balanced and "left over matter" does notincrease in concentration in nature.
Fig. 10 A Sustainable Society
Natural cycles (the larger circle) surround society anddefine the limits which we have to live within. In asustainable society, plants (on the left-hand side)build up enough renewable resources to satisfy con-
sumption by animals and humans (on the right-hand side). Various agents break down the wastefrom animals, thus making it available, as a resource,to plants. The sun provides energy, and heat radiatesinto the universe. Society lives partly on small flows ofmetals and minerals from the earth’s crust (1) and onlarger flows from nature’s production (3). A flow ofsubstances produced in society leak into nature,breaks down and gets assimilated in the natural cycles(2). And in that society, all resources are used effec-tively enough to meet human needs everywhere (4).
A SHIFT IN FOCUS The four system conditions enable a shift in focusto the underlying causes of social and environmen-tal problems rather than looking at the symptoms,which sooner or later manifest themselves anyway.What this means is that we can move upstream topreventive measures through our understanding ofthe source of problems. We know that ‘nothing dis-appears and everything tends to disperse’, thereforeunless we address the cause, the symptoms will per-sist despite our efforts to contain them. By takingaction at the source, complexity becomes moremanageable, by preventing damage before it occurs.
Fig. 11 Think Upstream - Don’t just focus on symptoms
SUSTAINABILTY OBJECTIVESAn organization is sustainable when it no longercontributes to ecological non-sustainability and nolonger undermines human needs by any of its prac-tices. This can be broken down into sustainabilityobjectives for the whole organization.
Our sustainability objectives are to:
1. … eliminate our contribution to systematic increases in concentrations of substances from the earth's crust.
2. … eliminate our contribution to systematic increases in concentrations of substances produced by society.
3. … eliminate our contribution to systematic physical degradation of nature through overharvesting, introductions and other forms of modification.
4. … meet human needs in our society and worldwide, over and above all the substitution and dematerialization measures taken in meeting the first three objectives.
Fig. 12 Sustainability Objectives
By assessing each specific activity against theseobjectives, we ensure that all existing and futureenvironmental & social problems are dealt with6.
B WHAT DO YOUR OPERATIONS LOOK LIKE TODAY?To find out what your organization’s operationslook like today from a sustainability perspective,you need to map out critical flows and practices inyour organization in regard to your sustainabilityobjectives.
An organization, and every single operation/activi-ty in the organization, is like a box with variousflows going into, and coming out of it. As ‘nothingdisappears’, it is logical to start by looking at theflows of raw materials and energy into ‘the box’.That way, you can eventually relate these to what is
Sustainability Objectives
Our sustainability objectives are to:
eliminate our contribution to systematic increases inconcentrations of substances from the earth’s crust;
eliminate our contribution to systematic increases inconcentrations of substances produced by society;
eliminate our contribution to systematic physicaldegradation through over-harvesting, introductions andother forms of modification; &
meet human needs in our society and worldwide, over andabove all the substitution and dematerialization taken inmeeting the first three objectives.
123
4
being exported and establish how particular mate-rials or types of energy relate to your sustainabilityobjectives.
Fig. 13 Sustainability Review
It is important to involve all employees in thisprocess, as everyone has some impact on the flowsof raw materials and energy. Individuals mustengage not only in identifying the problems, butalso in creating, developing and implementing spe-cific solutions. At the Natural Step, we have foundthe best results are obtained if employees areinvolved in this way by carrying out the sustainabil-ity review themselves – backed up by resourcessuch as questionnaires that examine the position ofthe organization in relation to its sustainabilityobjectives. It creates ownership of the process and areal desire to find and implement solutions to cre-ate success.
Some examples of flows to look for are given belowfor each of the sustainability objectives but theseare only here as a guide. It is key that you developyour own sustainability review, tailored specificallyto the situation within your organization, and thatthis is an ongoing process rather than a one-timeevent.
Sustainability objective 1– to eliminate our contribution to systematicincreases in concentrations of substances from theearth's crust.
Look for:Flows in your organization containing elements
from the Earth’s crust that are scarce in nature andfossil fuels.
Examples of problems found in nature include:Rising levels of heavy metals in the soil, phosphatesin lakes, sulfuric acid in forests, and carbon dioxidein the atmosphere. Nature cannot sustain systemat-ic increases of any substance. Every single atom ofmercury, lead, zinc, copper or coal that we extractfrom the Earth’s crust, must end up somewhere.
If we continue on this path:Levels of substances from the Earth’s crust will con-tinue to increase. Complexity and time-lags make itdifficult to predict at what level damage is caused.Each substance has its own limit, but this limit isoften unknown until the damage has alreadyoccurred. Even after we have recognized the prob-lems caused by rising concentrations of substancesfrom the Earth’s crust, and cut down levels ofextraction from mines, many substances will con-tinue to build up in nature. This is because societyhas already amassed, and is using, huge quantitiesof materials from mines, many of which are scarcein nature.
Sustainability objective 2- to eliminate our contribution to systematicincreases in concentrations of substances producedby society.
Look for:Flows in your organization containing persistentand unnatural compounds and large emissions ofnaturally occurring compounds.
Examples of problems found in nature include:Rising levels of non-biodegradable substances innature that are not normally found there. Chloro-fluorocarbons (CFCs), polychlorinated bi-phenols(PCBs), many pesticides, dioxins, bromide anti-flammables and many additives in plastics such aschlorinated paraffin are some examples alreadycausing problems. The manufacturing of sub-stances is either intentional (as in the chemicalsindustry) or unintentional (such as by-productscreated during waste incineration). Substances notbroken down and integrated into the natural cycleswill build up in the environment, as will emissionsof naturally occurring compounds emitted in
B. Sustainability Review
quantities too great for the cycles to cope with.
If we continue on this path:Levels of substances produced by society will con-tinue to rise. Complexity and time-lags make it dif-ficult to predict at what level damage is caused.Each substance has its own limit, but this limit isoften unknown until the damage has alreadyoccurred. Regardless of these thresholds, these sub-stances will continue to build up in nature, under-mining the system upon which we depend (forexample depletion of the ozone layer). As forhuman effects, we are not separate from nature,and as such these substances will continue to buildup in our systems. The effects of this are unknown,but given the concerns regarding carcinogens andendocrine disruptors it would seem prudent to seekalternatives.
Sustainability objective 3- to eliminate our contribution to systematic physi-cal degradation of nature through overharvesting,introductions and other forms of modification.
Look for:Flows in your organization containing resourcesfrom badly-managed eco-systems, incautious mod-ification of nature or use of fertile land, or areaconsuming activities like road transportation.
Examples of problems found in nature include:Clear-cutting of forests, spreading deserts, loss ofnutrients, construction of roads and buildings onfertile land, over-fishing of seas and lakes, masstourism in pristine areas of nature and damage tounderground water flows.
If we continue on this path:Nature’s capacity will be reduced in functions suchas its waste processing, the building of resourceswhich society needs, and the provision of the hostof ‘free services’ crucial to the survival of life (forinstance, clean air and drinkable water). Complexi-ty and time-lags make it dificult to predict at whichlevel of physical degradation damage is caused.Each part of an ecosystem has its own limit, butthis limit is often unknown until the damage hasalready occurred.
Sustainability objective 4- to meet human needs in our society and world-wide
Look for:Unfair and irresponsible treatment of all people onwhom your organization has an impact.
Examples of problems in society include:Famine and lack of safe drinking water in largeregions of the world due to the uneven distributionof resources within humanity, at the same time asmany people in the industrialized world sufferfrom alienation and feel a loss of cultural meaning;breakdown of cohesive family units and communi-ty fabric due to increased work pressures, greaterdemands upon time, and increased mobility; and,increased incidences of mental illness due to workand social stress globally7.
If we continue as before:We will see a widening gap and tension betweenrich and poor. At the moment, 20% of the world’speople are using more than 80% of the resources,while the poorest 20% are malnourished and donot have access to clean water. People living inpoverty think about sustainability in its starkestterms – how to stay alive that day. If the global dis-parity in resources is not addressed they will simplydegrade the global system in order to meet themost basic of human needs – staying alive. Mean-while, the richest 20% will continue to try to meettheir human needs in a very inefficient manner,rapidly overwhelming the system upon which theydepend.
C WHAT DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION LOOK LIKE IN A SUS-TAINABLE SOCIETY?What might your organization look like in a sus-tainable society? The point of the exercise is to ‘liftyour vision’, looking for solutions free from yourpreconceptions based upon current reality. Whatutility is the customer really looking for? Whatneeds are fulfilled by your organization? Whathuman requirements will your organization pro-vide in a sustainable society? What is your role insatisfying human needs worldwide? The way toapproach this is to envisage your organization as aservice provider. For example are you selling cars ormobility? Kilowatt hours or light and heating?
Next, you list every conceivable connectionbetween the vision of your organization in a sus-tainable future, and the way it looks today. How areyou going to meet the needs of your customerswithout compromising your sustainability objec-tives? Make certain that the list covers all kinds ofpossible measures and not only measures that are"realistic" in the short term, or address mistakesthat are already causing damage.
For the organization to become sustainable,planned measures and strategies must be assessedin relation to the sustainability objectives. You haveto content yourselves with testing the measuresagainst these objectives. We cannot know exactlywhat the future holds, within the basic outline ofyour sustainability objectives there are an endlessnumber of permutations.
If this process is overseen & implemented withproper care, there can be far-reaching conse-quences. The opportunities, innovation, and com-petitive advantage that stem from the process canbe huge.
Fig. 14 What does your organization look like in aSustainable Society?
For each objective you should list solutions, i.e.make a list of all the options in compliance witheach sustainability objective that would be availableto your organization.
One key area to address is efficiency as this impactsevery objective, for example:
o Resource productivity: reduce the amounts
of resources needed for the production or use of a product, for instance by means ofmore energy-efficient engines and products that require less materials.
o Less waste: improved systems for reuse and recycling.
o Organizational efficiency: avoiding unnecessary transportation, encouraging local manufacturing, a global exchange of information and knowledge rather than manufactured goods.
o Personal efficiency: our daily lives. How do we fulfill our needs and desires? With material objects or experiences? With which goods and/or services?
Everything that is theoretically possible should belisted. Some examples are given below for each ofthe sustainability objectives, but these are only hereas a guide. It is key that you develop your ownsolutions tailored specifically to the situation with-in your organization.
Sustainability objective 1 options might include:Switching to renewable fuels and materials such aswood, fibers, ceramics, glass, etc. You can also dis-criminate in favor of metals commonly found innature. The more common a metal is in nature, themore freely you can use and recycle it without fearof rising concentrations. Aluminum and iron, forinstance, are considerably more common in naturethan copper and cadmium.
Even in a sustainable society, it may be necessary toincrease mining of particular substances in theshort term, even of some scarce metals. An exampleof this would be certain rare metals needed in solarcells (which would need to be tightly cylced at endof use). The effects would be beneficial, as solarcells reduce the need for non-renewable fuels.
Sustainability objective 2 options might include:The phasing out of substances that are persistentand are not commonly found in nature. It may alsobe necessary to switch away from a range of othersubstances that, even though biodegradable, arenevertheless building up in nature because ofexcessively high volumes of use.
Even in a sustainable society it may be necessary tooccasionally use non-biodegradable substances notnormally found in nature, such as important phar-maceuticals. These substances should however betightly cycled and only used if there are no betteralternatives.
Sustainability objective 3 options might include:Drawing resources only from well-managed eco-systems, systematically pursuing the most produc-tive and efficient use both of those resources andland, and exercising caution in all kinds of modifi-cation of nature. By locating new factories on thefoundations of old ones, planning all constructionwith respect for nature, and switching to less areaconsuming transport through smarter logistics,boat traffic, or by changing business strategy tomore local production, you can minimize yourdegradation of nature by physical means.
Sustainability objective 4 options might include:Making sure that the organization and all suppliers:operate in full compliance with the laws of theirrespective countries; pay workers wages and pro-vide benefits regardless of their identity; do not useinvoluntary or uncompensated labor of any kind,nor child labor; do not abuse labor in any way; donot threaten, penalize, restrict or interfere withworkers’ lawful efforts to join associations of theirown choosing; and make sure that the local com-munity provides health care and schools for chil-dren.
D PRIORITIZATION AND MANAGEMENTWhich targets and measures are to be chosen?Which of them move us fastest toward sustainabili-ty while still maximizing short-term profitabilityand long-term flexibility? By choosing measuresfrom C that stand up favorably to all of the keyquestions outlined below, long-term and short-term profitability are linked – and each stepbecomes financially viable in itself. This way ofplanning also makes it possible to solve today’sproblems without creating new problems tomor-row.
1. Are we backcasting from our objectives whenprioritizing this measure? Assess each suggestedmeasure against the sustainability objectives. Whichmeasure brings us toward sustainability the fastest?
Fig. 15 Prioritization and Management
2. Are we creating a flexible platform for furtherimprovements? Choose solutions that are as flexibleas possible, otherwise you might end up in a deadend. If technical or economic conditions change,investments in flexible solutions will ensure thatadjustments do not bring punitive costs. Can ournew, lean-burn engine be modified to use renew-able fuels? Is this system for recycling of heavy met-als the best decision? Isn’t it possible to substitutethose materials for others instead?
3. Will the measure bring quick enough financialreturns? Prioritize ‘low-hanging fruit’ – in otherwords, measures that bring improved profitabilityin the short term, or in other ways generate com-paratively quick returns on investments. The risk ofnot taking action needs to be considered here aswell. Does the measure bring resource savings?Does the measure reduce the risk of future costs?Does the measure respond to a current trend, i.e.can it help serve a market demand and therebyimprove our sales figures? Can this measure help usreach a new market segment? Can it generate prof-its through new marketing strategies to increasecustomer loyalty and brand equity?
It is the combination of the three key questionsthat constitute the strategy - a strategy that priori-tizes the measures that are most financially viable,bringing you toward sustainability fastest withoutloosing flexibility or profitability. By examiningevery aspect of decision-making in terms of theTNS Framework, the probability of long-term suc-cess is greatly improved.
D. Prioritization & Management
Every measure is checked against three questions:
1 Are we moving towards our sustainabilityobjectives?
2 Are we creating flexible platforms for furtherimprovements?
3 Does the measure provide an adequate rateof return?
THE RISK OF PLANNING IN A TRADITIONAL MANNER
The most common way of planning for the futureis to review the present state by looking in the rearview mirror for perceived problems and then tryingto remedy these problems in the future. We call thisforecasting. With a pressing need for fundamentalchange and a high level of complexity this planningtechnique has many disadvantages.
Perhaps its most crucial flaw is that whatever seemsimportant in the present comes to define thefuture. Planning strategies will then be based onpresent-day tax levels, present-day costs for sustain-able technology, present-day fuels and present-dayenergy systems. The risk of allowing the trends tobe the main drivers of the problems is obvious.Acting in this way, we risk bringing today’s prob-lems into the future. It also does not encourageinnovation.
The traditional forecasting perspective used inmost environmental programs provides a planningprocedure starting with a list of negative impacts innature that have already been discovered. Estimatesare then made as to which activities/resources arethe most hazardous (from a scientific point of viewit is often impossible to tell, due to complexity).This leads into a meaningless debate about causesand makes it difficult to deal strategically withtradeoffs. Incremental changes can sometimes becounter-productive and may lead into dead ends,even if they are estimated to reduce today’s impactin nature. Incremental changes of an old systemcan also lock up resources.
From a strategic point of view, backcasting allowsyou to deal with the complexity of the problemsfacing you in a far more effective manner thanforecasting. It allows you to create solutions thatfocus upon the underlying causes of the problem,rather than trying to tackle the myriad effects. Inshort, it allows environmental and social problemsto be turned from a potential major liability into apotential major opportunity.
ENDNOTES
1 A popularized combination of the first law ofthermodynamics and the law of matter conserva-tion. During atomic fission, matter is exchanged forenergy, but this exception does not affect the rest ofthe argument.
2 A popularized version of the second law of ther-modynamics.
3 Solar energy is the most important, but there arealso two lesser additions from other sources. One isheat from processes in the Earth’s core. The other isgravitational energy from our solar system, e.g.tidal water.
4 On a much smaller scale, human solar-drivenprocesses can also create a net increase in concen-tration and structure, for instance solar-poweredvehicles transporting materials for recycling.
5 See for example Real-Life Economics: Under-standing Wealth Creation, edited by Paul Ekins andManfred Max-Neef. New York: Routledge: 1992.
6 In Environmental Management Systems comply-ing with ISO14001 the objectives could serve as"environmental objectives", thereby giving a direc-tion to the "continual improvement" stated inISO14001. Accordingly, the four "significant envi-ronmental aspects" of any organization are theircontribution to non-sustainability. Because there isno overlap between the four sustainability objec-tives, it is easier than one might think to producerelevant benchmarks and other indicators for mea-suring the performance of the organization.
7 See for example the UNDP’s Human Develop-ment Reports.
