Is The Natural Step’s Theory about Sustainability Still Sustainable? A Theoretical Review and Critique

With sustainability initiatives attracting quality employees, many businesses concentrate more on their ecological imprint than on sustaining their human capital. Theories such as Karl-Henrik Robèrt’s The Natural Step (1997, 2000, 2002) prize a balance with the environment above one with people. Yet, an increasingly ageing workforce with increasingly common chronic diseases has led corporations to hemorrhage money—from direct costs because of absenteeism to indirect costs because of decreased productivity. Although eligible in many countries for accommodations, many chronically ill employees choose not to self-disclose, instead, masking their illnesses from employers. Questioning the sustainability of The Natural Step (TNS) from this perspective, this paper also critiques TNS’ evolution as a theoretical construct through the lens offered by the General Method of Theory Building in Applied Disciplines.