What is measured gets managed. If we do not demonstrate that we "mean business" we have no credibility. This is as true in world trade as it is in our homes when we tell our kids to clean up their bedroom, or else... So, to be taken seriously by our kids or by the market place we had better be able to prove we are serious about the future today.
Sustainability is a process or condition; one that can be maintained indefinitely without progressive diminution of valued qualities inside or outside the system in which the process operates or the
condition prevails. - The World Bank
Hence, no strategy or action should be taken without testing its ability to be sustainable. This test should apply equally to the private and public sector. Actually, all Canadian federal departments had to submit sustainable development strategies to the House of Commons by December 1997. For the first time we now have a picture of how each department views this challenge; that is good news. However most departments failed to set clear targets that could be used internally, by Parliament or by the public. The need for continual improvement is not limited to the public sector. Early private sector reports showed the same weaknesses when they first came out a decade ago. However, the test for sustainability has to apply to public-private partnerships as well. This is especially important for Canada because of the unique structure of our political process, a responsible democracy.
Generically there are three elements that must be included in the evaluation, and the test must demonstrate a balance between the triad. By design and in practice the evaluation must consider the social, environmental (ecological) and the financial or economic context. To prove progress we have to look for indications of performance improvements. The state of the art of developing performance indicators is still new. One approach that is favoured is the use of indices based on the summation of social, environmental and economic criteria. Specifics of performance indicators need to be related in an exact context, a system or community, beyond the scope of our current discussion. However there are some process criteria which cannot be ignored. Sustainability will only be successful when we acknowledge the fact that any activity occurs as part of a system with checks and balances and not in isolation. To build on our discussion on the importance of measuring for sustainability Glass Works offers Shared Product Responsibility as a case study with support for why we think one approach is sustainable. We also offer Extended Producer Responsibility as an example that we feel fails the test for Canada. Glass Works hopes that you find the enclosed of value, and challenges you to respond.
Factor Four
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