Our logo: Reframing the Triple Bottom Line
The triple bottom line- people, profit and planet – rests on the fundamental pillars of – economic, social, and environmental sustainability. These pillars cannot stand alone – they are inherently co-dependent and interconnected. It’s the framing of their relationship we believe is fundamental when approaching sustainable development. So much so it’s the inspiration behind our logo. This article will explore reframing the triple bottom line, the model we use and why it’s fundamental when approaching impactful work in sustainability.
“We want every business to be driven to make positive impacts on people, planet and prosperity. This framing of the triple bottom line highlights why. Business relies on a thriving society and planet.”
Triple Bottom Line
The triple bottom line helps businesses define and describe the economic, social and environmental impact of their practices. Where businesses should consider the value of their services based on social and environmental value as well as value from economic profit. Transparent reporting frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) have been developed to help quantify these dimensions.
The Overlapping Model
When visualizing the relationship between dimensions, the overlapping model is often what many think of. The environment, economy and society co-existing and interconnecting. A trifecta encompassing sustainability. Whereby sustainability only arises when all the requirements of each pillar are fulfilled.
The problem with this is that each pillar is not equally weighted. The triple bottom line requires reframing. Our natural environment can exist without our society, but not inversely. Further our society can persist without a particular company and their profits. As such, business can only thrive when the societies and natural environment they exist in also continue to thrive.
Nested Dependency Model
We need to reframe the three pillars as our economy is part of society which is part of our broader environment, not the other way around. This is visualized in the model on the right below. With this reframing we emphasize the rationale behind sustainable development and why protecting our environment and by-proxy our societies we are serving business. These matters do not work in isolation. A healthy and thriving natural and human environment are essential for a healthy and thriving business and their economic profits.
Why this is important
To move toward a sustainable future we need to shift our perspective and place our importance on the long-term and bigger picture. It is essential to have a key focus on our environment to ensure longevity in business – from business resources to a healthy planet to exist on! Further, a healthy and functional society is essential as without it we are without the human systems and structures for a business to effectively exist.
We want every business to be driven to make positive impacts on people, planet and prosperity. This framing of the triple bottom line highlights why. Business relies on a thriving society and planet.
Sustainable transformation
Making sustainable practices a business habit requires rethinking the way we work and live and the way we run our businesses.
To find out about how we approach this through aligning with the principles of the UN Sustainable Development goals, have a chat with us or see where you currently stand with your sustainability status.
