A brief overview of how businesses can use The Natural Step to become more sustainable: energy & water conservation, land use, solid waste reduction, air quality, material sourcing, product stewardship, etc.

1. Be a Great Business
With a Small Footprint

2. Sustainability
Meeting the needs of
the present without
compromising the
ability of future
generations to meet
their own needs.

3. Three elements are
necessary for
sustainability:
Economic
Environmental
Societal

5. A Sustainable Future

6. Developed by Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt in 1989, the TNS
Framework builds on a basic understanding of what makes
life possible, how our biosphere functions and how we are
part of the earth’s natural systems.

7. Four System Conditions
1. Eliminate contribution to fossil fuel dependence and to
wasteful use of scarce metals and minerals.
Reduce mining and bringing into
use substances from earth’s crust:
• heavy metals such as
cadmium, lead, mercury,
• minerals such as phosphorus
• fossil fuels
These substances and their emissions (CO2 and NOx) are steadily
increasing in human society and nature.

8. 2. Eliminate contribution to dependence upon persistent
chemicals and wasteful use of synthetic substances.
• Humans are manufacturing
synthetic substances faster than
they can be broken down.
• EPA lists more than 70,000
chemicals that are in common use.
• Every U.S. citizen’s fatty tissue
contains at least 700 chemical
contaminants, according to EPA.

9. 3. Eliminate contribution to encroachment upon nature –
land, water, wildlife, forests, soil, ecosystems.
• Human activity is breaking down
natural systems faster than they can
renew themselves.
• Nearly one-half of the Earth’s original
forest cover has been lost.
• Demand for fresh water exceeds the
world’s supply by 17 percent.

10. 4. Meet human needs fairly and efficiently.
• If people around the world cannot meet their basic human needs
(air, water, food, shelter), the first three system conditions will not
be met.
• Within our businesses & communities, our needs include:
• a means of a livelihood
• mobility
• equal treatment
• equal access
• participation in decisions
• safety
• right to peaceful enjoyment of life
• connection with nature

11. Three Steps to a
Sustainable Business

12. Step One
Backcast: Determine
how your company
will look when it’s
completely
sustainable.
How are you going
to get there? What
will have to change?

13. Backcasting
Create Awareness
Develop Baseline
Envision the Future
Set and Manage Priorities

14. Priority Setting in D
Search for measures that respond
“yes” to these three questions:
1. Does this measure proceed in
the right direction with respect to
all system conditions?
2. Does this measure provide a
stepping-stone for future
improvements?
3. Is this measure likely to
produce a sufficient return on
investment to further catalyze
the process?

15. Step Two
Select an
implementation
structure/strategy
for incorporating
sustainable practices
into your operations.

16. Step Three
Create a
measurement tool
to track your
sustainability
initiatives.

17. Business
Applications
Energy Conservation
Material Sourcing
Land Use
Transportation
Water Conservation
Solid Waste Reduction
Air Quality
Storm Water Impact
Life Cycle/Cradle to Cradle

18. By Department
Landscaping Facilities Maintenance
Fleet Management Indoor/Outdoor Lighting
Purchasing Heating/Cooling
Shipping Toilets/Sinks
Cafeteria Janitorial
Human Resources Interiors
Manufacturing Carpet, Paint, Furniture
Upstream & Downstream
Responsibility for Sustainable
Materials

19. Questions?
Lori De La Cruz, ABC
Blue Marble Media, LLC & The Ecological Compass
Lori@BlueMarbleMedia.net
817-233-4093