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In 1987, the Brundtland Commission published a report entitled Our Common Future, setting out the case for international governments to make progress toward economic development that could be sustained without depleting natural resources or harming the environment. The report highlighted the three components of Sustainable development: environment, society and economy. The Brundtland Commission's definition of Sustainable development is the most widely used today: 'development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'.

Other terms are used to reflect the business response to Sustainable development: Sustainability, 'long-term business success while contributing towards economic and social development, a healthy environment and a stable society'* Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); Corporate Responsibility (CR); and Corporate Citizenship, 'the contribution a company makes to society through its core business activities, its social investment and philanthropy programmes, and its engagement in public policy' (Source: World Economic Forum). These are all used in the business community to describe how organisations contribute to Sustainable development.

More specifically, Triple Bottom Line, a phrase coined by John Elkington in 1994, describes the extent to which the 'three pillars' of Sustainable development (environmental, social and economic) form the basis of an organisation's value and performance.

Find out how it affects each part of the building process:

• Building design
• Planning & development
• Energy & Climate Change
• Resource use

*Reference: Developing Value: The Business Case for Sustainability in Emerging Markets (Sustainability, International Finance Corporation, Ethos Institute)