The term gained widespread usage after 1987, when the Brundtland Report of the World
Commission of Environment and Development defined sustainable development as action that
“meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.”3
This definition is still widely used.
Also in the 1980s, Swedish oncologist Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt brought together leading
scientists to develop a consensus on requirements for a sustainable society. In 1989 he
formulated this consensus in four conditions for sustainability, which in turn became the basis
for an organization, The Natural Step.4
Subsequently, many businesses and municipalities
around the world pledged to abide by the Natural Step conditions: