Ben Bradley speaks with a woman at the Lulu eGames 2017

Key Concepts

We prepare our students to speak the language of sustainability so they can hit the ground running upon graduation.

Defining Sustainability

When we talk about sustainable business, what exactly do we mean? The increasing application and implied meaning of words like sustainability can be confusing. Here are the defintions that we use:

Sustainability

"An inclusive way, encompassing human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods and a better world for all generations."
-Assoc. for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education

Sustainable

“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
-UN World Commission on Environment and Development

Sustainable Business

"Businesses that have committed themselves to the triple bottom line of People, Planet, and Profit." A sustainable economy is a prosperous and resilient one.
-American Sustainable Business Council

Social innovation

"A methodology to create social value and potentially economic value at the systems-change level, which addresses the root cause of a problem that includes new strategies, concepts, ideas and organizations that address social needs of all kinds."
-Ashoka U

Student Opportunities Sustainability courses

The Language of Sustainability

Key concepts in sustainability are integrated across our undergraduate and graduate business curriculum from sustainable supply chain management to understanding green consumer behaviour.

Sustainability courses

27 percent

of Poole College faculty have integrated sustainability related concepts and content into their courses.

BSC Experts

Key Concepts

B Corporation: According to B Lab, B Corp is to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk. B Corps are for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): According to the United Nations, the SDGS are “a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years.”

The Sustainability Consortium (TSC): TSC is a global non-profit organization working to transform the consumer goods industry by partnering with leading companies to define, develop, and deliver more sustainable products.

Sustainable Accounting Standards Board (SASB): SASB is an independent, private-sector standards setting organization based in San Francisco, California dedicated to enhancing the efficiency of the capital markets by fostering high-quality disclosure of material sustainability information that meets investor needs.