The term sustainability is broadly used to indicate programs, initiatives and actions aimed at the preservation of a particular resource. However, it actually refers to four distinct areas: human, social, economic and environmental – known as the four pillars of sustainability.

Human sustainability

Human sustainability aims to maintain and improve the human capital in society. Investments in the health and education systems, access to services, nutrition, knowledge and skills are all programs under the umbrella of human sustainability. Natural resources and spaces available are limited and there is a need to balance continual growth with improvements to health and achieving economic wellbeing for everyone. In the context of business, an organisation will view itself as a member of society and promote business values that respect human capital. Human sustainability focuses on the importance of anyone directly or indirectly involved in the making of products, or provision of services or broader stakeholders (the human capital of the organisation) (Benn et al., 2014). Communities around the globe may be positively or negatively affected by business activities, or impacted through methods used to source raw materials. Human sustainability encompasses the development of skills and human capacity to support the functions and sustainability of the organisation and to promote the wellbeing of communities and society.

Social sustainability

Social sustainability aims to preserve social capital by investing and creating services that constitute the framework of our society. The concept accommodates a larger view of the world in relation to communities, cultures and globalisation. It means to preserve future generations and to acknowledge that what we do can have an impact on others and on the world. Social sustainability focuses on maintaining and improving social quality with concepts such as cohesion, reciprocity and honesty and the importance of relationships amongst people. It can be encouraged and supported by laws, information and shared ideas of equality and rights. Social sustainability incorporates the idea of sustainable development as defined by the United Nations sustainable development goals. The principle of sustainable development addresses social and economic improvement that protects the environment and supports equality, and therefore the economy and society and the ecological system are mutually dependent (Diesendorf, 2000).

Economic sustainability

Economic sustainability aims to maintain the capital intact. If social sustainability focuses on improving social equality, economic sustainability aims to improve the standard of living. In the context of business, it refers to the efficient use of assets to maintain company profitability over time. As stated by the UK Government (Annual Report 2000, January 2001):

“Maintaining high and stable levels of economic growth is one of the key objectives of sustainable development. Abandoning economic growth is not an option. But sustainable development is more than just economic growth. The quality of growth matters as well as the quantity.”

Critics of this model acknowledge that a great gap in modern accounting practices is not to include the cost of damage to the earth in market prices (Hawking, 2010). A more recent approach to economics acknowledges the limited incorporation of the ecological and social components in this model. New economics is inclusive of natural capital (ecological systems) and social capital (relationships amongst people) and challenges the mantra of capital that continual growth is good and bigger is better, if it risks causing harm to the ecological and human system (Benn et al., 2014).

Environmental sustainability

Environmental sustainability aims to improve human welfare through the protection of natural capital (e.g. land, air, water, minerals etc.). Initiatives and programs are defined environmentally sustainable when they ensure that the needs of the population are met without the risk of compromising the needs of future generations. Environmental sustainability, as described by Dunphy, Benveniste, Griffiths and Sutton (2000), places emphasis on how business can achieve positive economic outcomes without doing any harm, in the short- or long-term, to the environment. According to Dunphy et al. (2000) an environmentally sustainable business seeks to integrate all four sustainability pillars, and to reach this aim each one needs to be treated equally.

The principle of the four pillars of sustainability states that for complete sustainability problems to be solved in relation to all four pillars of sustainability and then need be maintained. Although in some cases these may overlap, it is important to identify the specific type of green business to focus on, as the four types present unique characteristics. Businesses need to make a strategic decision about it so as to effectively incorporate the chosen approach into their policies and procedures.

Learn more at: https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/sustainable-business/0/steps/78337

The post 4 pillars of sustainability- Future Learn appeared first on Welcome to Sustainable Futures for Enterprise Centres (SFEC).

A new report offers fresh research on the positive impact of social enterprise interventions in developing skills and creating employment opportunities, especially within disadvantaged areas.

Commissioned by the Enterprise Research Centre in partnership with Liverpool-based The Women’s Organisation, the role of social enterprise in developing skills and creating employment opportunities in the UK has been launched.

Published as the first in a series of five State of The Art (SOTA) Reviews, the report outlines how social enterprises can play a pivotal role in the post-COVID-19 recovery through improved funding mechanisms and updated policy.

Within the review, author Prof Richard Hazenberg, explores the relationship between social enterprises and education, training and employment to identify the clear benefits of the involvement in building community cohesion, and urban regeneration.

Each of the five reviews tackle individual key themes in relation to social enterprise, including employment and skills opportunities, diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability.

The Women’s Organisation chief executive, Maggie O’Carroll, said: “Having a robust evidence base is critical to effective policy and investments decisions.

“We are very pleased to be working with the Enterprise Research Centre and to be able to utilise its expertise. These reviews provide important insights on how the social economy is at the forefront of the UK’s economic and social recovery.”

One of the primary methods in which social enterprises support upskilling and employment creation is by focusing on the creation of social value, particularly in disadvantaged areas. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are already having a disproportionate effect on socially excluded populations.

In the UK it is estimated there are 100,000 social enterprises accounting for more than £60bn of UK GDP and employing 1.44 million people. Further, it has been estimated that if the economy was dominated by social enterprises rather than shareholder dominated businesses, four million more people would be being paid the real living wage and £118bn of profits per annum would be reinvested back into society.

Read more here:

SOURCE – https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/northwest/news/2077757-social-enterprise-vital-to-post-covid-19-recovery

The post Social Enterprise vital to post Covid-19 recovery appeared first on Welcome to Sustainable Futures for Enterprise Centres (SFEC).

The SFEC project brings together a range of partners from all over Europe, from the UK and Ireland to Denmark, Spain & the Netherlands. The Primary Objective of SPEC is to initiate a replicable model of learning that enables enterprise centre managers, tenant businesses and learners to adopt sustainable and responsible business practices. Focusing on the dimensions of sustainable practice such as: sustainable buildings (NZEB), energy and resource efficiency, sustainable eco-systems and collective action, the SFEC programme will assist the participant cohort in developing practices that will make a transformative contribution to addressing climate challenges.

Our focus is on the following questions:

• What are the best practices that our participants can replicate in order to carbon footprint, improve their services/supports and future proof their infrastructures?
• How best to guide enterprise centre leaders and tenant SMEs through a strategic climate change process which will bring sustainable practices from learning into concrete actions?
• What are the mechanisms by which we can transfer those skills to the widest possible enterprise centre + tenant cohort?

The transition to a low-carbon economy means a new economic model is necessary, focused on low-carbon growth, resource efficiency and sustainable development. That presents significant transformational challenges for enterprise where sustainable transitions are highly dependent upon technological solutions: industrialisation has catalysed a linear economy in which take-use-dispose culture is accentuated. A transition to a circular, sustainable economy is essential.

The SFEC project will work to:

1. Identify best practices that enterprise centres can replicate to reduce their carbon footprint, improve their services/supports and future proof their infrastructures (IO1)
2. Guide enterprise centre leaders through strategic sustainability planning which will bring sustainable practices and ideas to fruition via concrete actions (IO2)
3. Empower enterprise centre leaders to become Sustainability Educators and Agents of Change capable of teaching and training SME and start up clients about the principles of sustainability and green business (IO3)
4. Develop a self-learning sustainability and climate-action online course for Enterprise Centres tenants and wider SME’s to enable them to operate in an environmentally and socially responsible manner and align their sustainability goals with those of the enterprise centres where they are based (IO3)

Specifically, SFEC targets

Target group 1: Enterprise Centre leaders

Develop the competences of leaders in enterprise centre management in sustainable business practice to include sustainable buildings (NZEB), energy and resource efficiency, sustainable eco-systems, collective action, state of the art digital technologies and working practices. Target staff include: Board of Directors, Management Team, Operational Staff, Volunteers

Target group 2 – Enterprise Centres business advisors, mentors and VET educators

• Upskill business advisors, mentors and VET educators in applied sustainable competencies as target group 1
• Deliver train the trainer workshops to enable the dissemination of above to their SME and start up clients.

Target group 3 – Enterprise Centre Tenants, business clients and wider SMEs

• Introduce new pedagogical in sustainability and climate-action into existing business start-up curricula. This requires teaching enterprise centres to “practice what they preach” and create new tools and resources so that business educators can teach a complicated issue effectively.

Target group 4 – Sustainability Advocates:

Nonaffiliated members, public or otherwise, who may be interested in learning about the newest models and best practices in the sector and who wish to to encourage established and emerging leaders to develop mutually beneficial sustainability and climate action change.

The post Welcome to the Sustainable Future for Enterprise Centres Project appeared first on Welcome to Sustainable Futures for Enterprise Centres (SFEC).