By Silvina Dalton, Co-Founder of DelPlata Green.
The concept of sustainable development, as enunciated by the United Nations Brundtland Commission in 1987, must be understood in the context of its time, and its objective of raising awareness of the finite nature of resources and the need for responsible national growth, as well as incorporating an ecosystem-based timeline to counteract the EGO-based behaviors observed during that decade, must be valued.
Personally, I believe that of all the definitions I have read and experienced based on my contact with numerous organizations that have embraced the impact business model (IBM), the one that resonates with my life philosophy today is that of the Amartya Organization (created in 2005 and inspired by Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize winner in Economics): “Sustainability for a society means the existence of economic, ecological, social, and political conditions that allow its functioning harmoniously over time and space. In time, harmony must exist between current and future generations; in space, harmony must be generated between different social sectors, between women and men, and between the population and its environment.”
I value two concepts from this definition:
a) The concept of harmony or BALANCE of the economic, ecological, social and political elements whose existence is necessary, which for me is a key point for sustainable development.
b) the inclusion of two axes: temporal, as incorporated in the Brundtland report; and spatial, which defines the entire ecosystem in which harmony must be generated.
In my opinion, this definition summarizes all the conditions necessary for a community's development to be considered sustainable. It defines the ecosystem's actors, establishes a timeframe for them associated with sustainability in its classic definition, and adds "political conditions" as a necessary pillar, an element not usually mentioned in other definitions of sustainable development I've read.
This definition is in line with that of authors who believe that sustainability must be approached from a holistic perspective and must take into account all the interconnected problems humanity must face.
I believe that the new generations have grown up aware of the need to care for the planet and the importance of including everyone in every ecosystem. They are critical of policies that can have negative impacts on society, and they also condemn the externalities of some companies that are not committed to climate action or diversity and inclusion.
The new generations have embraced a concept that Samuel Bowles (University of Massachusetts) explains in his 1970 paper, the concept of HOMO RECIPROCANS vs. HOMO ECONOMICUS, that is, someone who is willing to give up their personal interest for the benefit of the collective interest, a key concept within the Economy of the Common Good.
This systemic thinking of sustainable development defines the behavior of many young entrepreneurs today. This is why more and more initiatives focused on generating impact are emerging every day, whether it's a triple impact, combining social and environmental impact with economic impact, or an environmental impact or a social impact.
As an example, I share the case of Guayaki, a company specializing in marketing yerba mate products in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1996 by Argentine Alex Pryor, the company aims to "regenerate the rainforest and create decent jobs for indigenous communities"—a model committed to a triple impact.
The idea arose from observing the deforestation of the Atlantic Forest (located between Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil), which had led to the displacement of indigenous yerba mate-producing communities. From this perspective, the core of Guayaki's business model became "regeneration," not only ecologically but also socially and culturally, through the employment of indigenous communities.
Guayaki aims to regenerate 200,000 acres of rainforest and create 1,000 decent-wage jobs through its Market-Led Restoration program.
This is undoubtedly a sustainable development business model in which the temporal axes (preserving resources for future generations through regeneration) and social axes (incorporating all actors in the impacted ecosystem) can be identified, as well as the harmony of the economic, social, environmental, and political elements, which has been key to Guayaki's success and has made it an exemplary case study in academic circles.
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