IDEO Reduces H&M Plastic Waste
Sustainability is the societal goal that relates to the ability of people to safely co-exist on Earth over a long time. As McGill University explains, after almost a century of effort trying to raise living standards through industrialisation, many nations were still dealing with extreme poverty. I would argue that this is a very generous perspective, with this push for production and globalisation having perhaps been motivated by personal capital gain rather than the greater good. However, as the University’s report notes:
It seemed that economic development at the cost of ecological health and social equity did not lead to long-lasting prosperity. It was clear that the world needed to find a way to harmonise ecology with prosperity.
(left) PM Gro Harlem Brundtland delivering the Commission’s findings in 1987
(left) Our Common Future campaign 1987
In 1983, the United Nations appointed the Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland to run the new World Commission on Environment and Development. The Commission’s goal was to to understand the effects of capitalism on our planet and how we can tackle these problems before it is too late.
In 1987, the Commission released its final report entitled: Our Common Future in which it famous defined Sustainability as:
Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The Commission successfully unified environmentalism with social and economic concerns on the world’s development agenda. Sustainability is a holistic approach that considers ecological, social and economic dimensions, recognising that all must be considered together to find lasting prosperity. Dr. Nigel Roome argues that for the time in which it was published, the report was innovative; the first of its time to formally anticipate the an environmental and social crisis if global nations continued to pursue production at its current pace. He acknowledges the report provides vague solutions to the issue including deterring developing countries from following the same, harmful production methods as their neighbours in the pursuit for social development.
(above) Graph illustrating global temperature rising rapidly from 1980 to present
(above) NASA satellite captures 1 mile of snowpack dramatically reduced to meltwater as WMO reported Antarctica’s warmest week in history during 2020 - this record has since risen
(above) The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: a collection of marine debris est. to be larger than Texas state contributing to the pollution and deterioration of underwater life
(above) Image by Stuart Palley depicts The Creek Fire in California, its spread fuelled by the presence of dead, super dry trees; climate change caused their habitat to become unnaturally dry which led to their deaths
I found the UN’s phrasing equally interesting and concerning. The report, published nearly forty years prior to this project, emphasises the importance of acting selflessly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of future generations i.e., us in 2023. However, as Roome points out, our environment is deteriorating at a much faster and evident pace than in 1987, it is clear this report was not enough to influence global policy or actions of large corporations. I have included the above images depicting the planet the Commission in 1987 were concerned future generations would inherit. Organisations like ChangeMakers Donegal aim to educate local communities about these issues and provide solutions on we can work to counteract Climate Change.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, providing a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. Every year, the UN Secretary General presents an annual SDG Progress report, which is developed in cooperation with the UN System, and based on the global indicator framework and data produced by national statistical systems and information collected at the regional level.
(above and right) Organisations like The Fair Trade Foundation and Deliveroo provide non-profit work which aligns with the Goals
At its core the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. I have included the 17 SDGs summarised in the table below and highlight how they are symbolised visually.
(above) UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals
