Glossary of sustainability

Getting yourself from A to B by walking or cycling. Also includes other physical activities like running, skateboarding and scooting.

Able to break down and blend back in with the earth, given the right conditions and presence of microorganisms, fungi or bacteria. Ideally, but not always, no toxins are left behind.

The variety of living species on Earth, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi.

Parts of the economy that use renewable biological resources to produce food, products and energy.

Renewable energy derived from biological sources such as plant matter or animal waste. Includes wood, crops like corn and sugarcane, and waste from forests or farms.

Liquid or gaseous fuel products made from plant matter or animal waste and used mainly for transportation purposes.

A form of design that seeks sustainable solutions by mimicking nature. The goal is to create products and services that are well adapted to life on Earth over the long-term.

Carbon captured by the ocean or coastal ecosystems.

Marine activities that generate economic value and contribute positively to environmental and social wellbeing.

Human-made structures.

The underlying structure of how a company creates, delivers and captures value. In its most simplistic form, it is how a business makes money.

The ability of an organisation to adapt in a changing environment to enable it to achieve its objectives and prosper.

Making bold and fundamental changes to the way business operates, rather than making incremental step changes to the status quo.

A generic term for any tradable certificate or permit deemed to allow a company, within an emissions trading scheme, to emit one tonne of CO2 equivalent. This covers CO2 or any of the other greenhouse gases.

A naturally occurring gas that is also a by-product of burning fossil fuels, such as oil, gas and coal. It is the principal greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere and warms the planet.

The universal unit of measurement to indicate the global warming potential of each of the seven categories of greenhouse gases. It is expressed in terms of the global warming potential of one unit of carbon dioxide for 100 years.

The release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. A term often used in place of greenhouse gas emissions (see below).

Total emissions of greenhouse gases (in carbon equivalent) for an activity or organisation over a given period of time.

Balancing greenhouse gas emissions with an equivalent amount of independently verified carbon offsets. Also referred to as net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Any activity deemed to reduce overall emissions of greenhouse gases by purchasing verified carbon credits (also known as offsets) through emissions reduction projects or carbon trading schemes.

Any activity deemed to reduce and/or offset more emissions than it produces.

The capture and storage of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, for example by planting trees.

A term sometimes used to describe a product or service that creates no greenhouse gas emissions during production and/or operation.

An economy where waste and pollution are designed out, products and materials are kept in use and natural systems are regenerated.

Activities to tackle climate change and its impacts, usually by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Actions to manage the unavoidable impacts of climate change.

A long-term shift in global weather patterns or average temperatures. Scientific research shows that, compared with climate change patterns throughout Earth’s history, the rate of temperature rise since the Industrial Revolution is extremely high. Rising temperatures can lead to extreme weather such as droughts, sea level rises and retreating glaciers.

Actions to limit greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

Cross-sector coordination to bring about large-scale change.

Given the right conditions, a material that breaks down completely into non-toxic components that can support plant growth.

A form of capitalism that seeks to benefit people and the environment.

Consumers voting with their wallet – purchasing products and services that are produced responsibly.

A management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations.

The joint effort of individuals who network and pool their money, usually online, to support a wide variety of activities including start-up company funding, disaster relief and campaigns.

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, for example through the use of low emissions power sources and electrification.

An economic theory, represented by a doughnut-shaped diagram, for operating within the boundaries of social and environmental sustainability.

Recycling a material in a way that decreases its quality or value.

Assisting an ecosystem to recover to a previous, more biodiverse condition.

Improving ecological health and biodiversity by enabling, supporting and enhancing natural processes.

A vehicle that runs on electricity powered by a battery that can be plugged in to recharge. A vehicle that uses a battery and conventional engine is called a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

Emissions associated with materials and construction of a building, or product, accounting for the whole lifecycle. Embodied carbon includes emissions created during the manufacturing of materials and transportation to sites. 

A tool that puts a price on emissions of greenhouse gases with the aim of reducing them. All sectors of Aotearoa New Zealand’s economy, apart from agriculture, pay for their emissions through the NZ ETS. A select group of large businesses are required to buy units to cover their emissions. These businesses pass on these costs to their customers. The ETS provides an incentive to reduce emissions. It is one of the government’s main tools to meet our emissions target under the Paris Agreement.

Discarded electronic appliances such as mobile phones, computers, and televisions.

A set of processes and practices that enable an organisation to reduce its environmental impacts.  The most commonly used framework is the one developed by the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) for the ISO 14001 standard.

The avoidance of investment in activities considered unethical and unsustainable, in favour of those that are either considered less harmful, benign or socially and environmentally positive.

An alternative approach to conventional trade, based on a partnership between producers and consumers, to ensure that farmers and workers get a fair share of the benefits of trade.

Non-renewable fuels including coal, oil and natural gas.

An increase in the world’s average temperature due to human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Forms of financing that enable borrowers to use the proceeds to fund projects that make a substantial contribution to an environmental objective.

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapour.

Under-reporting sustainability progress (or not reporting at all) to avoid being criticised for not doing enough.

Activities, usually marketing, intended to make people believe a company is doing more to protect the environment than it really is.

Gross emissions are the total greenhouse gas emissions from human activity. Net emissions include any removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through land use and forestry, or removals through purchased offsets.

A vehicle primarily powered by a conventional internal combustion engine, but supplemented with power from regenerative braking.

Offsetting emissions through a carbon offset project within an organisation's value chain.

An approach to corporate reporting that integrates financial information and non-financial (e.g. sustainability) information into a single document to show how a company is performing.

Translates as guardianship, protection, preservation or sheltering. A way of managing the environment, based on the traditional Māori world view.

The process of attempting to measure the environmental impacts of a product or service throughout its existence.

Traditionally, Māori believe there is a deep kinship between humans and the natural world. All life is connected. People are not superior to the natural order; they are part of it.

Literally translated means ‘Māori knowledge’. A modern term that broadly includes traditions, values, concepts, philosophies, world views and understandings derived from uniquely Māori cultural points of view.

A source of financial services for individuals or small businesses lacking access to traditional banking services. It can be a sustainable means of poverty alleviation by empowering entrepreneurs to build businesses, support their families and transform their communities.

Small pieces of plastic, less than 5mm in length, found on land and water as a result of plastic pollution.

An umbrella term for extreme forms of exploitation like human trafficking, slavery and slavery-like practices, such as servitude, forced labour, forced marriage, the sale and exploitation of children, and debt bondage.

Solutions that are inspired and supported by nature and that may also offer environmental, economic and social benefits, while increasing resilience.

The world’s stock of natural ‘assets’, including geology, soil, air, water and all living things.

A legally binding international treaty on climate change adopted by more than 190 countries in 2015. Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2°, preferably to 1.5° Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.

A concept where businesses take responsibility for the environmental impact of the products they make, sell or buy. This involves all stages of the product’s life cycle, including end-of-life management.

Processing materials that would otherwise be thrown away and turning them into reusable material. In closed loop recycling materials from a product are recycled to make the same, or a similar, product without significant degradation or waste. This can be done repeatedly. In open-loop recycling materials from a product are used to make a different type of product.

A product or material that can be collected, processed and manufactured into a new product.

Improving ecological health and biodiversity by enabling, supporting and enhancing natural processes.

Rebuilding a product to its original specifications using a combination of reused, repaired and new parts.

Energy that comes from natural sources that are constantly replenished like wind, water and sunlight.

Assisting an ecosystem to recover to a previous, more biodiverse condition.

Targets for reducing emissions are considered ‘science-based’ if they are in line with what the latest climate science deems necessary to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Carbon emissions are categorised into three groups or ‘scopes’ by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Scope 1 covers direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by an organisation e.g. company vehicles that use petrol or diesel. Scope 2 covers emissions from purchased energy that an organisation uses (in the form of electricity, heat or steam). Scope 3 covers indirect emissions due to the activities of an organisation, but generated from sources it does not own or control e.g. flights taken for business travel.    

A management principle that seeks market opportunities for business to solve social problems. ‘Creating Shared Value’ was first introduced in the Harvard Business Review in 2011, based on the principle that the competitiveness of a company and the health of the communities around it are mutually dependent.

A system whereby consumers share access to products or services, rather than having individual ownership. Examples include Airbnb, which matches people who have a place or space to rent with people looking for a place to stay.

The collective value of all social networks; the links and shared values in society that enable individuals and groups to work together.

A network between a company and its suppliers to produce and distribute a specific product to the final buyer.

Businesses that operate to tackle social problems, improve communities or the environment. They reinvest their profits back into the business or community.

The million-dollar definition!  We believe sustainability is a balance of society, economy and environment for long-term resilience.

A business that is economically viable, socially responsible and environmentally conscious.

Designing products, services and the built environment in keeping with principles of sustainability.

A collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. They were adopted by the UN in 2015.

The process of taking environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into account when making investment decisions in the financial sector.

Decisions when buying products and services that include social and environmental factors along with price and quality.

An approach to problem-solving that views ‘problems’ as part of a wider, dynamic system. It is the process of understanding how things influence one another as part of a whole.

An international organisation created in 2015 to develop consistent climate-related financial risk disclosures for use by companies, banks, and investors in providing information to stakeholders. In 2021 New Zealand was the first country in the world to adopt reporting requirements based on the TCFD framework. Climate-related disclosures are now mandatory for around 200 organisations in the financial and insurance sectors.

A set of recommendations, plus guidance, to help organisations assess, report and act on their nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks and opportunities.

The Māori world view, acknowledging the interconnectedness of all living and non-living things.

A phrase first coined by John Elkington in 1994, describing the separate but interdependent financial, social and environmental ‘bottom lines’ of companies.

The process of transforming waste materials or unwanted products into items of greater value or quality.

A business model that describes the full range of activities needed to create a product or service.

A ranking of waste management strategies in order of their environmental impact, typically prioritising prevention, reuse and recycling, with disposal as a last resort.

The complete flow of a specific type of waste from domestic or industrial areas through to recovery, recycling or disposal.

A term sometimes used to describe a product or service that creates no greenhouse gas emissions during production and/or operation.

A target of sending no waste for disposal via landfill or burning.