Using the site
What do we mean by sustainability?
There have been many attempts to provide an absolute definition of sustainability and sustainable development. These typically vary according to the author’s personal and organisational perspective. For us, sustainability is both a process and an outcome. It has at its heart the core principle of taking decisions that integrate social, economic and environmental considerations while accounting for the needs of future generations.
More information on the history and definitions of sustainability is available via the Sustainable Development Commission.
What makes this site unique?
This site is independent of any political or corporate lobbying, allowing it to be as comprehensive as possible and freely available to all. The About us page gives further information about the key partners in the development of this site.
This site:
- draws on the experiences of many different organisations offering opportunities for cross-sectoral learning;
- shows how sustainability can be integrated into all parts of an organisation;
- highlights the key challenges that must be considered when embedding sustainability; and
- does not just offer its own guidance but also acts as a portal to other relevant sustainability sites and information.
Who is this site aimed at?
This website is designed to provide practical and accessible advice for any public, private, or third sector organisation. It will assist decision-makers (both strategic and operational) in embedding sustainability.
The website is designed to be used both by those with no prior knowledge of sustainability and by experienced professionals, who may find resources or case studies they can learn from. It will offer those tasked with driving sustainability in an organisation a resource which they can share with their less experienced colleagues.
How can this site help decision makers embed sustainability into their organisations?
Organisations can use the toolkit as a whole to develop or improve their overall approach to sustainability, or use discrete modules in order to improve their performance in a particular area.
The material in the website has been built up in conjunction with a number of partner organisations from across the public sector, food, construction and finance sectors. It is illustrated with case study material from organisations who were willing to share their experiences of the issues and challenges involved in embedding sustainability.
The website seeks to share lessons learnt for the benefit of all sectors of society, not just those with which we have worked to date. It aspires to have a greater focus than any existing site on overcoming the challenges which organisations across the UK face as they attempt to become more sustainable.
How is the website structured?
This site contains a wide range of resources. These are structured around five broad areas of a generic organisation:
- Strategic Approach;
- Culture, Skills and People
- Decision Support;
- Procurement, Travel, Land and Buildings; and
- Deliverables: Products, Services and Public Policy.
Each of these areas contains a number of more detailed modules, which examine the context, key sustainability considerations and challenges commonly faced. Each module contains:
- a context piece describing why that area of an organisation is important to achieving sustainability;
- ‘Key considerations’ sections which bring together common messages from different sources of guidance;
- a discussion of the common challenges that must be overcome within that activity;
- links to useful tools and guidance;
- case studies illustrating how some organisations are addressing sustainability;
- suggestions of how to measure success (where available) in that area; and
- links to other related sites, such as online forums.
All case studies from across these five areas of the site are also brought together in a sixth area.
If you are looking for information on a particular topic, you can also use the search function.
Sustainability is a rapidly developing field and there will inevitably be guidance, considerations and challenges that have not been included on this site. However, each module offers the user an opportunity to tell us about key considerations and challenges that we haven’t included and case studies that may help to illustrate how the challenges can be overcome.
For a visual representation of how the resources are organised, see the Overview.
A text representation is available on the Site map.
For information on the contributors to, and supporters of, the site, see About us.