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Simplicity Without Reduction: Thinking Upstream Towards the Sustainable Society

Author

Listed:
  • Göran Broman

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Karlskrona/Ronneby, S-371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden)

  • John Holmberg

    (Department of Physical Resource Theory, Chalmers University of Technology and Göteborg University, S-412 96 Göteborg, Sweden)

  • Karl-Henrik Robört

    (The Natural Step, Wallingatan 22, S-111 24 Stockholm, Sweden)

Abstract

The natural-step framework is used by over 100 organizations, including many global corporations in Europe and the United States, to provide strategic direction for their sustainability initiatives. The framework is built on the concept of simplicity without reduction. Out of respect for complexity, we designed it to provide a compass, a guide for strategic direction. The framework consists of a backcasting planning process for sustainable development based on four principles (system conditions) for sustainability. The framework does not prescribe detailed actions. Once an organization understands the framework, it identifies and specifies the detailed means by which to achieve the strategy, because it knows its business best. The steps in the planning process are understanding and discussing the system conditions for sustainability, describing and discussing how the company relates to the system conditions in today's situation, creating a vision of how the company will fulfill its customers' needs in the future while complying with the system conditions, and specifying a program of actions that will take the company from today's situation to the future vision.

Suggested Citation

  • Göran Broman & John Holmberg & Karl-Henrik Robört, 2000. "Simplicity Without Reduction: Thinking Upstream Towards the Sustainable Society," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 30(3), pages 13-25, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orinte:v:30:y:2000:i:3:p:13-25
    DOI: 10.1287/inte.30.3.13.11662
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    Cited by:

    1. Sietske Smulders-Dane & Toine Smits & Glen Fielding & Yvonne Chang & Kirsten Kuipers, 2016. "Learning from Regional Sustainable Development in The Netherlands: Explorations from a Learning History," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-17, May.
    2. Smith, Leigh & Ball, Peter, 2012. "Steps towards sustainable manufacturing through modelling material, energy and waste flows," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(1), pages 227-238.
    3. Marina Dabic & Mario Orac & Tugrul U Daim, 2016. "Targeting sustainable competitiveness in Croatia by implementation of “20 Keys” methodology," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 1-26, December.
    4. Hammond, Geoffrey P., 2009. "Industrial energy analysis, thermodynamics and sustainability," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 84(7-8), pages 675-700, July.
    5. Geoffrey P. Hammond, 2006. "‘People, planet and prosperity’: The determinants of humanity's environmental footprint," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 30(1), pages 27-36, February.
    6. Geoffrey P Hammond & Hayley R Howard & Andrew Tuck, 2012. "Risk assessment of UK biofuel developments within the rapidly evolving energy and transport sectors," Journal of Risk and Reliability, , vol. 226(5), pages 526-548, October.
    7. Liesel Carlsson & Edith Callaghan & Adrian Morley & Göran Broman, 2017. "Food System Sustainability across Scales: A Proposed Local-To-Global Approach to Community Planning and Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-14, June.
    8. Mubashir Qasim, 2018. "Some Links between Sustainability and Well-Being," Working Papers in Economics 18/13, University of Waikato.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ENVIRONMENT; FINANCE—INVESTMENT CRITERIA;

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