Sustainable Development, Five Capitals and Environmental Limits
Sustainable development, the five capitals model and environmental limits provide the foundational frameworks for understanding what CR&S means in practice. Together they help organisations define what they are trying to sustain, what resources they depend on, and where the boundaries of responsible operation lie.
Technique Overview
Sustainable Development, Five Capitals and Environmental Limits Definition
Sustainable development, per the Brundtland Commission (WCED, 1987), meets present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own. The five capitals model (Forum for the Future) operationalises this via five capitals - natural, human, social, manufactured, financial - that organisations draw on to deliver products and services. A sustainable organisation maintains, and where possible enhances, these capital stocks rather than depleting them (Forum for the Future, 2023). Environmental limits bound the activity needed to keep all capitals intact for future generations.
Sustainable Development, Five Capitals and Environmental Limits Description *
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Business Evidence
Strengths, weaknesses and examples of Sustainable Development, Five Capitals and Environmental Limits *
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Business Application
Implementation, success factors and measures of Sustainable Development, Five Capitals and Environmental Limits *
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Professional Tools
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Further Reading
Sustainable Development, Five Capitals and Environmental Limits web and print resources *
Sustainable Development, Five Capitals and Environmental Limits references (4 of up to 20) *
- Brundtland, G.H. et al. (1987) “Our common future ; by world commission on environment and development.” Available at: https://bdpi.usp.br/item/000764409 (Accessed: May 2026).
- Forum for the Future (2023) The Five Capitals - A Framework for Sustainability. www.forumforthefuture.org/the-five-capitals
- Interface (2023) Climate Take Back. www.interface.com/EU/en-GB/campaign/climate-take-back/Climate-Take-Back
- Natura &Co (2022) Annual Report 2022. www.naturaeco.com/en/our-commitment/annual-report
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