It has been quite some times that ITC Infotech started its Sustainability engagement as a co-innovation partner with SAP. I just thought its better to share my thoughts on the subject so that others can share theirs thoughts too.
Well, technically Sustainability is defined as, “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” This is exactly as defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987 (the Brundtland Commission).
It basically refers to the need, the consumption of which at present, will lead to scarcity in the future. It can be any thing starting from oxygen, water, food, oil, energy etc. Some of the resources are renewable, while some are not. Even the renewable resources have a delicate cycle, disturbance of which may leads to disastrous consequences in future.
When giving a serious thought about the root cause of all the Sustainability Initiatives, population explosion seems to be the primary reason for most of the problem. Population explosion leads to a mad pace of developmental activities, stiffening competition, pollution problems, global warming etc, etc. To control population explosion, naturally family planning is the obvious solution.
But the logos, which are used for sustainability, both in Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) do not convey this message, though green initiatives and protecting earth, seems to be conveyed. The message the logo gives seems to be superficial instead of pointing at the core.
A modified “Family planning” symbol of inverted triangle with green shade instead of red shade, inscribed inside a blue circle, which represents the earth, could be a better symbol for Sustainability. The three sides of the triangle can as well represent the three dimensions of the sustainability viz, Economic, Environment and Society. The triangle standing on its tip symbolizes the unstable equilibrium that the earth is in.
It’s quite simple to draw too and hopefully this symbol will be thought provoking. Somebody looking at the symbol will definitely question why this one and investigate to find out the answer, which can as well be a sustainability initiative at the root cause level itself.
Insert Pictures.
Disclaimer: The opinions expresses in this blog are purely my personal opinions and has no legal liability on my employer or affiliates or parent organization.
Reference:
http://www.globalreporting.org/ReportingFramework/SectorSupplements/
http://www.sustainability-index.com/07_htmle/assessment/criteria.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Triangle,_Family_Planning
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