Glossary of sustainability terms
This page explains some commonly used sustainability terms, acronyms, and jargon. We’ll be adding to these over time, so please contact us if you’d like a definition of a particular term.
Carbon Footprint (or GHG Footprint)
A carbon footprint is a way of assessing environmental impact. The analogy of a ‘footprint’ reflects your imprint on the planet. It is also called a GHG footprint because it represents the total greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted into the atmosphere. The footprint is expressed in equivalent tons of CO2.
You can measure the carbon/GHG footprint of a person, household, company, product, service, event, community or country. For example, a product’s footprint reflects emissions throughout the product’s lifecycle, from raw materials, manufacture and usage to final disposal, recycling or repurposing. An event’s footprint considers aspects like attendee transport, technology, catering, decor and waste (see our guide to sustainable events).
To measure a company’s carbon footprint, you assess levels of GHGs resulting from ALL their operations, including activities of suppliers, staff and customers. This involves determining the impact of activities the organisation does not own or manage as well as those they do (see Scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions).
Why measure your carbon/GHG footprint?
Measuring your home or organisation’s carbon footprint helps you understand emission sources and find ways to reduce GHGs. Having such data makes it easier to involve people in sustainability initiatives and provides a benchmark to communicate or report progress.
As organisations or households, we can reduce our GHG footprint with nature-friendly strategies like energy efficiency, waste reduction, sustainable transportation and plant-based diets.
If you’d like to start with a general sustainability indicator before measuring your footprint, do your Green Street Score. For a more detailed assessment, use a Carbon Management System or tools like the UN’s free GHG emissions calculator.
Related terms & concepts
Green Street resources
Further reading
Carbon Neutral
Carbon-neutral means any CO2 released into the atmosphere is balanced by removing an equivalent amount.
Companies, products, events or services can potentially be carbon-neutral.
Being carbon neutral is NOT the same as achieving zero carbon (‘net zero’). While a carbon-neutral operation balances carbon inputs and outputs, a zero-carbon operation produces no carbon emissions in the first place.
Related terms & concepts
Carbon Positive, Carbon Negative
The terms carbon positive and carbon negative sound like opposite terms, but they actually mean the same thing! Because it’s confusing, the term ‘Climate positive’ is often preferred.
These terms refer to when the company (or product, service, or whatever is measured) goes beyond being carbon neutral – they remove additional CO2 from the atmosphere.
In other words, they have a positive impact by creating a negative carbon footprint. This provides an environmental benefit to help mitigate climate change (so the result is climate positive).
Related terms & concepts
Circular Economy
“The circular economy is a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated.”
Ellen MacArthur Foundation
A circular economy is based on three main principles:
- eliminate waste and pollution
- circulate products and materials (at their highest value)
- regenerate nature.
In a circular economy, all products, components and materials stay in circulation, feeding back into the system to create value instead of being discarded as waste. There is no such thing as ‘waste’ in a circular economy. This reflects how natural ecosystems work, where waste becomes a nutrient for the system.
This is sometimes called a closed-loop system, similar to the Cradle to Cradle® concept.
How does it work in practice?
To build circular economy activity, organisations need to move from a linear ‘take-make-waste’ model that exploits nature towards a circular lifecycle approach that regenerates nature. How? By transforming how they manage, design, make, and use products and materials.
Circular economy strategies include reusing, repairing, recycling, remanufacturing, composting or repurposing existing products and materials. The aim is for companies to take fewer (or none) of nature’s finite resources to make new products. They use renewable or finite materials already in circulation (see the butterfly diagram visualising this).
The ‘economy’ aspect is key because economic activity is connected to positive environmental outcomes – conserving finite natural resources, reducing waste, and regenerating nature.
Trading in a circular economy requires organisations to rethink processes and materials. They must collaborate with others to identify opportunities for creating value, trading resources and eliminating waste. Tools like the Aspire circular economy trading platform enable businesses to trade and build financial value from their ‘waste’ resources.
Related terms & concepts
Further reading
- What is a circular economy? (Ellen MacArthur Foundation)
- Design for a Circular Economy
- Key Takeaways from the Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group Interim Report (Aspire)
Green Street resources
Climate Change
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in global or regional climate patterns. Seasonal and longer-term climate changes have been happening throughout the Earth’s history. These changes have been caused by natural processes like cyclical ocean patterns, volcanic activity, and variations in the Earth’s orbit and the sun’s energy.
More recently, the term ‘climate change’ has been used to describe the rise in Earth’s temperature since the mid-1900s. This rise is largely attributed to human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, raising the temperature of the Earth’s surface.
“The current warming trend is unequivocally the result of human activity since the 1950s and is proceeding at an unprecedented rate over millennia.”
NASA
This global warming contributes to climate change, which is measured by recording and analysing climate data. Key indicators of climate change include land and ocean temperature, sea levels, polar ice and glaciers, vegetation cover, cloud changes, and the frequency and severity of extreme weather such as hurricanes, heat waves, wildfires, droughts, and floods.
Related terms & concepts
Further reading
Climate Risk Assessment
A Climate Risk Assessment provides a way to understand how climate change could have environmental, social and economic impacts on an organisation, country or region. The assessment investigates the likelihood of current and future climate hazards, analysing risk levels and identifying areas of vulnerability. It is also called a Climate Risk & Vulnerability Assessment (CRVA).
For example, the National Climate Risk Assessment for Australia identifies nationally significant risks and hazards from climate change. This information feeds into the government’s climate resilience and adaptation strategy.
Businesses must consider risks to their organisation and supply chain. These include risks to reputation, supply, operations and market value. In addition to physical climate-related events like floods, storms and biodiversity loss, commercial and legal risks include tighter regulations and reporting requirements, changing consumer preferences, and reduced availability of certain fuels, materials and technologies. Once risks are identified, the organisation can look for ways to mitigate risks.
Related concepts
Further reading
- National Climate Risk Assessment (Australian Government, 2024)
- Assess climate risk for your business in six steps (Crowe, 2023)
Cradle to Grave (C2G), Cradle to Cradle® (C2C)
Cradle to Grave (C2G)
As the name suggests, Cradle to Grave refers to the lifecycle of a product or service from the start of its existence (cradle) to its end of life (grave). This linear lifecycle reflects how most products are currently designed and made. It’s also called the ‘Take-Make-Waste’ cycle.
The cycle typically starts by taking raw materials from the environment, making them into a product, using them, and then disposing of them when they’re no longer useful. Because there is not an unlimited supply of Earth’s resources, nor unlimited availability of space in landfills, this is NOT a sustainable approach.
Cradle to Cradle® (C2C)
The more sustainable Cradle to Cradle® (C2C) approach breaks the take-make-waste cycle by giving new life to products after use. Rather than ending up in a ‘grave’, the product (or its components) is reborn in a ‘cradle’.
A C2C approach considers the whole ecosystem in which the product or service exists. Any waste becomes part of the ecosystem, emulating our planet’s natural cycles. After use, products or their components become ‘nutrients’ for others, creating a potentially infinite cycle. This approach is integral to a Circular Economy.
The C2C cycle depends on what the items are made of and how they are produced. Products made from natural materials can be part of a biological cycle. Organic waste and materials that decompose can feed new biological products or break down into nature to continue the cycle. For example, paper or textiles can be recycled and made into stationery products, or composted to grow food.
Items made from plastics, manufactured materials or synthetic chemicals can’t decompose into nature, so they move through a separate technical cycle. Rather than ending up as landfill waste, their components or materials can be used to create new products, which in turn can be recycled or remanufactured. Of course, this depends on items being designed and made in a way that allows their constituent parts to be separated and reused.
The term Cradle to Cradle® is a registered trademark. Formal C2C certification (via the trademark owner) is available to companies that meet the standard.
However, the underlying principles can be applied to any system, product, service or organisation. It follows the same general concept as a Circular Economy.
Related terms & concepts
Further reading
CSR
CSR is an acronym for Corporate Social Responsibility, also called Corporate Citizenship. These general terms describe how organisations integrate social, ethical and environmental concerns (as well as financial concerns) into their values and operations.
By practising a CSR business model, an organisation is socially accountable to itself, its stakeholders and the public. This means they account for their social, environmental and economic impacts on the world, aiming to enhance rather than degrade society and the environment.
Related terms & concepts
ESG
ESG is an acronym that represents three pillars of sustainability: Environmental, Social and Governance. They’re called pillars because they are like vertical columns that support everything else.
The term ESG is often used interchangeably with general concepts like Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
For each of the three ESG pillars, organisations (or households) try to reduce risks, create opportunities, and build value (not just financial value $$$). They do this by measuring impacts in each area, planning actions and assessing results. For a guide to doing this (and templates), see our article on ESG.
Here’s a summary of the three ESG pillars:
- ENVIRONMENTAL: Impacts on the physical environment (e.g. climate change, natural resource depletion, waste, pollution, biodiversity loss and deforestation)
- SOCIAL: Impacts on people (e.g. the health, safety and life quality of workers, suppliers, customers, citizens and communities)
- GOVERNANCE: The systems and processes controlling an organisation, group or household (e.g. decision-making, values/ethics, compliance, risk management, reporting structure, accountability measures).
Related terms & concepts
Further reading
Food Miles
Food miles are the distance travelled by food items from farm to plate, which is used to calculate the amount of energy and greenhouse gas emissions embodied in that travel.
The food miles concept has been used to measure environmental impact, but the value of this measure is disputed. The carbon footprint of food is impacted by factors other than distance travelled, although it plays a part.
How far has your food travelled?
Related terms & concepts
Further reading
GHG Protocol
The GHG Protocol is a partnership between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). It supplies the world’s most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standards. Companies, governments and communities use these standards to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions.
“Greenhouse Gas Protocol provides standards, guidance, tools and training for business and government to measure and manage climate-warming emissions.”
GHG Protocol
Related terms & concepts
Further reading
Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)
Greenhouse gases (GHGs) trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere and radiate it back to the surface, creating a greenhouse effect.
The main GHGs include Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Water (H2O), Ozone (O3), and Nitrous Oxide (N2O). Human activity has contributed to higher levels of these GHGs in the atmosphere, trapping more heat and contributing to climate change.
CO2 is considered the most important GHG because:
- so much of it is being added to the atmosphere (35 billion tons a year)
- it stays around for a very long time (hundreds of years)
- we can reduce it by relying less on fossil fuels and processes that emit CO2 and other GHGs.
GHGs are measured when calculating Carbon Footprint and Scope 1, 2 & 3 Emissions. The GHG Protocol provides standard global frameworks to measure and manage GHGs.
Related terms & concepts
Further reading
Greenwashing
Greenwashing is an attempt to make a business look ‘green’ by misrepresenting how environmentally friendly, sustainable or ethical its products, services or practices are. It’s a problem because misleading or unverified claims make it hard for people to make informed choices about who to buy from or work with.
In addition, greenwashing by some businesses devalues genuine sustainability efforts by others. Claims must be truthful, evidence-based, specific and understandable.
After a 2023 study found that over half of Australian businesses have made misleading claims, the ACCC produced guidance on making sustainability claims.
Learn how to recognise greenwashing, and make genuine environmental claims as a business
Further reading
Lifecycle Assessment (LCA)
A Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) is a systematic, phased analysis of the environmental impacts of products, services, or activities during their entire lifecycle.
For manufactured products, the lifecycle starts from the extraction of raw materials and goes through the stages of manufacture, distribution and use to disposal, recycling or upcycling.
An LCA typically involves evaluating the use of energy, materials and resources and assessing environmental, ecological, human and socio-economic impact.
Also called: Lifecycle Analysis, Life Cycle Inventory (LCI).
A lifecycle assessment looks at the whole lifecycle
Related concepts
Further reading & resources
Life-Centred Design
Life-centred design is a framework for designing products and services to support life on our planet rather than harming it.
Instead of putting economic or human needs first and foremost, designers centre the project around the needs of ALL life forms. These include humans, animals, plants, and natural systems like rivers and wetlands. By considering all such life forms as ‘stakeholders’ who are impacted by the product throughout its lifecycle, designers aim to create positive, sustainable solutions.
A life-centred design approach encompasses a range of principles, such as circular design, systems thinking, inclusive design, and human-centred design.
“Life-centred design expands human-centred design to include consideration for nature and vulnerable humans by merging practices such as circular design, biomimicry, systems thinking, and futuring, and aligning designers with global goals.” Damian Lutz, author of The Life-Centred Design Guide
Also called: regenerative design, systemic design, design for planet.
Related concepts
Further reading & resources
Mitigation
Mitigating climate change, disasters or other risks means taking action to lessen the negative impacts of future hazards or climatic events.
For example, climate change mitigation measures include reducing greenhouse gas emissions and sequestering (storing) carbon. Similarly, disaster mitigation involves anticipating future risks of natural disasters and reducing exposure or vulnerability.
Just as a community may build flood barriers or bushfire-resistant homes, a business might look to build more resilient business processes and sustainable supply chains. For instance, if a climate disaster impacts a company’s supply of raw materials or labour, they may need to identify alternatives to reduce the business risk of lost productivity. They can identify risks like these through a Climate Risk Assessment.
Also called: Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
Related concepts
Modern Slavery
The term modern slavery refers to extreme forms of exploitation of people, such as forced labour, servitude, human trafficking, debt bondage, forced marriage and illegal child labour. It’s not about substandard working conditions or unfair pay – it’s about serious human rights abuses that undermine individual freedoms.
“Modern slavery describes situations where offenders use coercion, threats or deception to exploit victims and undermine their freedom.”
(Australian Government, Attorney-General’s Department)
Nearly 50 million people around the world are living and working in conditions of modern slavery (Global Slavery Index). Business owners, suppliers and consumers can do something about this (read more here).
Related concepts
Further reading & resources
Net Zero (or Zero Carbon)
As the term suggests, a Net Zero or Zero-carbon company/process produces zero emissions of CO2 or other greenhouse gases (GHGs).
This is NOT the same as being carbon neutral, where GHG inputs and outputs are balanced against each other. Net Zero means you don’t produce any emissions in the first place – no GHGs are released into the atmosphere.
Related terms & concepts
Further reading
Scope 1, 2 and 3 Emissions
Emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) fall into three categories: Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3, as defined by the GHG Protocol. The three Scopes refer to the source of emissions and who owns or controls them.
- Scope 1 covers direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by you or your organisation. It measures GHGs that your business or household releases directly into the atmosphere.
- Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from the energy you purchase and use – electricity, steam, heating and cooling. It measures GHGs generated by the supplier of the energy, not by you.
- Scope 3 includes all other indirect emissions resulting from your activities (as an organisation or household). You can’t control these emissions directly, but you can influence them via your activities and decisions.
If you want to measure and report your impact, or calculate an accurate Carbon footprint, it’s important to understand the difference between Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions (Source: GHG Protocol, Corporate Value Chain Scope 3 Standard)
Related terms & concepts
Further reading
Sustainability
Sustainability is a much-used term, but what does it really mean? Here is the most widely accepted definition of sustainable development:
“Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Brundtland Report, 1987
And here is a general dictionary definition of sustainability...
“The quality of being able to continue over a period of time.”
Cambridge Dictionary
Both of these definitions relate to the concept of sustaining life into the future, which is the essence of sustainability.
The term Triple Bottom Line, which emerged a few years after the Brundtland Report, introduced a framework for organisations to understand sustainability and integrate it into their planning and operations. Many other terms describe approaches, models, tools or methodologies to understand or improve sustainability, such as CSR and ESG.
Related terms & concepts
Further reading
Triple Bottom Line (TBL)
Triple Bottom Line (often shortened to TBL or 3BL) refers to the idea that a company’s performance is measured over time in three areas: financial, environmental and social. These three areas are also referred to as the 3 P’s: People, Planet, Profit.
The term Triple Bottom Line was coined by John Elkington in 1994, to describe how companies can be managed in a way that helps people and the planet while also making a profit.
“Success or failure on sustainability goals cannot be measured only in terms of profit and loss. It must also be measured in terms of the wellbeing of billions of people and the health of our planet.”
Related terms & concepts
Further reading
- 25 years ago I coined the term ‘Triple Bottom Line’. Here’s why it’s time to rethink it. (John Elkington, 2018)
- What is ESG and what can we do about it?
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